Events

 Rick Wise, is the Executive Director of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust and a recognized authority on Revolutionary War sites throughout the state. A U.S. Army veteran and trained military historian, he plays a leading role in The Liberty Trail project and regularly provides battlefield interpretation, public programs, and preservation guidance. Rick’s clear, engaging approach makes complex history easy to understand—and unforgettable. 

 Kathryn Smith is a former newspaper reporter and editor who now spends her time writing and speaking about history. She is the author of The Gatekeeper, the first biography of FDR’s private secretary and de facto White House Chief of Staff Marguerite A. LeHand, and Gertie: The Fabulous Life of Gertrude Sanford Legendre, which won the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award from the National Independent Book Publishers Association, and two books about Prohibition in the South: Baptists and Bootleggers and Methodists and Moonshiners.  Kathryn lives in Anderson, S.C. with her husband, Leo. 

 Aliene Humphries was born in Spartanburg, SC, and graduated from Columbia College with degrees in Special Education and Public Speaking/Drama. In 2010, she wrote her first book, The Legacy of A Common Civil War Soldier, based on the letters written by her great-grandfather Private Thomas Marion Shields in 1861-1865. Currently, Aliene is promoting her new book (tentative release date of fall 2022) and Timeline (now available) with the 60+ significant sites in her beloved state of South Carolina as battlefield sites, gravesites, and more. Aliene dresses in period attire and brings items from the 18th century to her talks including old and rare newspapers and unique items such as a wig curler.

 Elizabeth Chew became CEO of the South Carolina Historical Society in January 2024. A historian, curator, and educator, she has worked at museums and historic sites since 1985.

Prior to arriving in Charleston, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Curator at James Madison’s Montpelier in Virginia. During her 8 1/2 years at Montpelier, Dr. Chew led teams of curators, historians, educators, interpreters, public program creators, archaeologists, and historic preservation experts in researching and interpreting James Madison and his family, his essential roles in framing the U.S. Constitution and leading the nation, and the community of enslaved people on the plantation.

Prior to joining Montpelier, Dr. Chew led the curatorial and education division at Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, NC.  Earlier in her career, she served as Curator at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA.  During her thirteen-year tenure there, she was responsible for ongoing research and interpretation initiatives that wove together the Monticello house, its collections, the Jefferson family, and the enslaved community.  Dr. Chew also worked in curatorial positions in art museums in Washington, D.C., at The Phillips Collection, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Raised in Augusta, Georgia, Elizabeth received a BA in art history from Yale University, an MA from the University of London, and PhD from UNC- Chapel Hill.