Page 18 - Demo

18 January 2025 | BeaufortLifestyle.combecame a leading innovator at Brown Richards and Associates, where she focused on creating daycare centers for career women. Then Anne Kennedy, a longtime resident of Beaufort, was rounding out the group. She has been married for 57 years and has two sons and four grandchildren. Notably, her son married Patty Richards, Pete%u2019s daughter. Anne first became acquainted with Fort Fremont as a young first-grade teacher at the old Beaufort Elementary School, where she was invited to dinner by a student%u2019s family who lived in a house built on top of the Fort%u2019s Battery Fornance. %u201cI love Fort Fremont,%u201d she stated clearly. Past President Cecile Dorr and her late husband, Carl Dorr, were also involved. They lived in the eight-bedroom 1906 original Fort Fremont Hospital. Cecil, a librarian, and her husband, an engineer, raised their two daughters there. Cecil fondly remembers working with the group as a past president. She warmly remembers Pete as the %u201cIdea Guy%u201d and Wendy Wilson as a %u201cThe Wind Beneath Our Wings%u201d board member who was always there to help everyone. The members began meeting, and their dedication became unwavering after some time. Wendy Wilson recalls, %u201cAfter Pete discussed the idea with us, the rest was history. I initially thought it was a six-month project. That was seventeen years ago.%u201d With no funding, there were obstacles. Ray Rollings stated, %u201cThe biggest challenge was convincing the County and the public that there was any history at the site.%u201d That all began to change quickly when Ray and Marian Rollings put together a three-month exhibit on Fort Fremont at the Verdier House in 2012, which started to change the attitude locally. They later wrote a study of the durability and earthwork issues at the site; this included a petrographic examination of the concrete samples from Battery Jesup by Clemson University and their importance. This concentration of the conditions of the site was just the beginning. But Richards and his crew were steadfast, knowing that this hard work would benefit the fort and Beaufort County. The importance of these many projects and the individuals involved with Fort Fremont was relentless. Part two of this article series will discuss the board members' vast contributions. Tops on the list are the critical structure of the Fort, which will continue to be vital as we delve into the contributions and the focus of Ray and Marian Rollings%u2019 roles; the Rollings have extensive academic and practical engineering experience with these materials. %u201cFort Fremont poses a particular challenge in that it is composed primarily of Rosendale natural cement (the cement used in the Erie Canal and quite different from modern Portland cement), and used engineering and construction techniques different from today's,%u201d Ray explains. The Rollings are an unusual couple in that they both have PhDs in civil engineering and have done extensive engineering work with the Corps of Engineers, Air Force, and others. Ray says, %u201cFort Fremont provides a frozen snapshot of various engineering and military issues of 1898-1911. Marion states, %u201cFort Fremont marks the end of 350 years of coastal fortification on Port Royal Sound and the opening of a new era that would see aircraft replace fortifications and large guns for coast defense. This property was farmland before. Nothing has disturbed Fort Fremont%u2019s batteries since then.%u201d Much work is needed, including Wendy Wilson%u2019s continued support of planning the special harvest events and marketing for fundraising%u2014and the story of the building and deservedly named Pete Richards History Center. Barney has begun with his West Point classmate, Pete Scullery, vice president of the Board, who is actively involved with a project with the cadets of West Point. To enhance the visitor experience, the Friends of Fort Fremont are partnering with the Center for Digital History at the United States Military Academy at West Point to create a digital simulation of the construction and operation of Fort Fremont,%u201d Barney explains. The cadets will arrive in the summer 2025 to begin filming and gathering information. After a long career in education, Barney and the Board know this work is essential. Stewarded by Richards, the Board's dedication and commitment to Fort Fremont is evident. Betsy Richards says of her husband, %u201cPete used to say it%u2019s a win-win situation for both the Board and Beaufort County.%u201d As Pete Richards often said and valued, %u201cFort Fremont is the third gem of Beaufort County aligning with the Penn Center and Hunting Island.%u201d Their mission confirms preserving Fort Fremont as an educational, historical, and cultural resource of the Spanish-American War era on the shores of historic Port Royal Sound in Beaufort, South Carolina. In the meantime, drive 7.5 miles from Sea Island Parkway to Martin Luther King Boulevard, which becomes Lands End Road, to visit the fort; check out their website, www.fortfremont.org; watch podcasts; and start your journey. S2 A top left%u2014final size: 31 1/2%u201d X 22%u201d 2nd proofs S2 A top right%u2014final size: 31 1/2%u201d X 22%u201d 2nd proofs