Gerhard Spieler tells Beaufort's story in 'Pages from the Past'

Published Tue, Jul 22, 2008 12:00 AM

By MARK ALLWOOD
mallwood@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5538

It's one thing to write about history, but Gerhard Spieler also is living in it. For more than 40 years, the German native and longtime Beaufort resident has collected and preserved documents and artifacts of Beaufort's rich history for over 40 years.

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"It's always been a hobby of mine," Spieler said of learning about the past.

Often, he writes about Beaufort history in one of the area's most historic places, his home. Spieler, 88, and his wife, Ruth de Treville, live in the de Treville House, which was constructed around 1785 and designated an historic place by the state of South Carolina in 1969.

The de Treville House, where Ruth was born, is one of many subjects Spieler examines in his new book, "Beaufort, South Carolina: Pages from the Past." Released this year and sponsored by the Beaufort County Historical Society, in celebration of its 70th anniversary, the publication is a collection of the many articles that Spieler wrote over the years for the Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce's magazine, "Land of Isles."

"Often times when I sit and write about history, the thought comes to my mind, 'How many of these people may have sat in the same room?'" said Spieler, who also wrote a weekly history column, which ended in 2007 after 35 years, for The Beaufort Gazette. "So it's a privilege and a headache."

"He never missed a deadline," Ruth said of her husband's tenure at the Gazette.

Ruth, 81, has fond memories of the house but agreed with her husband that because the property is so old, they've had their work cut out for them trying to keep it up. She mentioned work that needs to be done in the back of the house and in the basement.

The home was once owned by Francis George Shaw, father of Robert Gould Shaw, the Civil War colonel in command of the all-black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, made famous in the 1989 movie "Glory."

Ruth said the home once housed missionaries during the Civil War, and it was purchased by her great uncle from one of the missionaries who helped start Penn Center.

In the hallway of the de Treville house hangs the family coat of arms, and sitting along a wall is a replica of the Steam Ship Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. One of Ruth's ancestors was one of the last owners of the ship. She said one of her ancestors also was a passenger on the Mayflower.

The de Treville house is filled with antique furniture, family pictures and portraits, a piano with a Civil War Songbook and several paintings by Ruth's mother. One of the paintings is of Oliver Sturges, a Savannah merchant who was a part-owner of the Steam Ship Savannah. The Oliver Sturges House in Savannah is on the National Register of Historic Places.

On the back cover of "Pages from the Past," there is a picture of the Civil War missionaries standing on the de Treville house's front porch. Ruth co-authored the chapter, "The First de Treville," about her ancestor John de Treville.

"He came before the Revolutionary War," said de Treville. "He enlisted in the Beaufort Artillery with the South Carolina Troops. He fought in the 7-Year War."

Spieler dedicated the book to Ruth, writing "with love and affection to my wife and helpmate."

"I was so thrilled to see that," she said of the dedication.

The Spielers also are past recipients of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Beaufort County Historical Society. They met after Spieler wrote an article about John de Treville.

"I enjoyed it, so I telephoned him and said if you ever want any more information let me know," said Ruth.

The couple immediately bonded over their mutual love of history, and they married in 1976.

Other topics in "Pages from the Past" include Robert E. Lee's time in South Carolina, the National Cemetery and soldiers of the Revolution, Spanish and French explorations, the early importance of rice and indigo to the area's economy, and a definition of "Beaufort style" in architecture, which the Spielers point out is different from Savannah and Charleston's.

One of the most revealing chapters in "Pages from the Past" is entitled "Black Cowboys," which debunks the story that American cowboys first appeared on the plains of Texas. According to Spieler, the original cowboys were black male slaves who worked the cowpens of the Lowcountry.

Spieler came to the United States with his mother and siblings at age 10 to join his father in New Jersey, who had come over for work before they arrived. He remembers spending a good deal of time in the library of the ship and said he's been interested in history for as long as he can remember.

Spieler arrived in Beaufort in 1967. At the time, he was working for a chemical company in Newark that was looking to open a branch somewhere in South Carolina. He loved it so much, he decided to stay.

"You couldn't help but run into it," said Spieler of Beaufort's history.

Since moving to the Lowcountry, Spieler assisted with the very first Gullah Festival, and he is an honorary member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Sons of the American Revolution. He also served as the historian of the Parish Church of St. Helena.

"It won't be too long before I'm dead," Spieler said while laughing, "but hopefully 'Pages from the Past' will continue to be consulted for many years. A book is a little bit more permanent."

In addition to "Pages from the Past," Spieler contributed six chapters to "The History of the Parish Church of St. Helena, Beaufort, South Carolina (Church of England, 1712-1789; Protestant Episcopal, 1789-1990)," co-authored "Ebb Tide-Floodtide, Beaufort County -- Jewel of the Lowcountry" and helped to edit a book that his mother-in-law released in 1978, "Captain Joseph S. Claghorn, of the Chatham Artillery."

He also is a contributor to the forthcoming "The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina, Vol. 2, 1861-2008."

Spieler's first published work was released in 1941. It was a thesis he wrote while in college in Newark about colonial industrialist Peter Hasenclever.

"The professor considered it good enough to submit it to the New Jersey Historical Society, and they printed it," said Spieler.

Dr. Stephen Wise has been the director of the Parris Island Museum for 25 years. He also is a contributor to "Vol. 2" and has known Spieler for at least 20 years. He said Spieler's work has been extremely instrumental in preserving the history of the area.

"He's probably the single greatest compiler of Beaufort history and data living in the county today," said Wise. "Gerhard deals with specifics. I think ('Pages from the Past') is one of the finest single volume, general histories of the area. It answers a lot of the questions like, 'Where did the name Beaufort come from?' I think it will be very popular with both the general public and visitors."

Gerhard Spieler tells Beaufort's story in 'Pages from the Past'