Kaminski House Museum will celebrate Family Fun & Literacy Day Oct. 14

Kaminski House Museum will celebrate Family Fun & Literacy Day Oct. 14

If the mornings are starting to get cooler and pumpkin patches are springing up on local farms and roadside markets, it must be time for Family Fun & Literacy Day at the Kaminski House Museum in historic Georgetown.

Family Fun & Literacy Day is scheduled on the lawn of the Kaminski House Museum on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 1–3 pm. 

“This is the staff’s favorite event of the year,” said Kim Leatherwood, deputy director at the Kaminski House Museum. “This event promotes families stepping away from their phones and other devices to spend quality time together. We focus on the importance of developing effective reading skills at every stage of life.”

Each child at the Kaminski House event will leave with a free book thanks a donation from Miss Ruby’s Kids. The museum received grant funding from the South Carolina Arts Commission, and the project is also funded in part by SC Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

For the Oct. 14 event, which is free and open to the public, featured storytellers will include William Goings, Elizabeth Huntsinger Robertson, and Jennie Holton Fant. Music will be provided by “Troubleiz.” As the museum celebrates literacy with storytelling, there will also be games, healthy snacks, and lots of fun for children.

All children attending the vent must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.

For more information, call the Kaminski House Museum at 843-251-5670 or visit KaminskiMuseum.org for more information. 

Located at 1003 Front St., the Kaminski House Museum is open Monday–Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tours are given at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 pm. Admission for adults is $12; seniors 65 and over, $10; and children 6-17 is $6. Children under 5 are admitted free of charge.

ABOUT THE KAMINSKI HOUSE

The Kaminski House is one of five museums located in Georgetown’s historic district.

Of the more than 60 antebellum homes in Georgetown, the Kaminski House stands out as one of the most representative of the Georgian style of the era. Built on a bluff overlooking the Sampit River, the Kaminski House is typical of the Low country “single house” style of the mid-18th century. The narrow ends of the home faced the street and the river with the main entry door located midway down one side of the building. The house was originally one room deep, with a central hallway and a room opening on each side for two stories. An attic space spanned the full length of the house. In addition, a colonnaded piazza (or porch) ran the length of the north side of the house, providing a comfortable and cool space for the original inhabitants. The second-floor piazza was removed in the 20th century.

The house was originally built by Paul Trapier, a leading merchant of South Carolina and sometimes known as “The King of Georgetown.” Born in 1716 of Huguenot parents in the French Santee section of Berkley County, Trapier moved to Georgetown and opened a small store. He soon became so successful he opened stores in Charleston as well. By the 1750’s Trapier was considered one of the wealthiest merchants in the colony. During the American Revolution, Trapier was active in supplying the military with provisions until the fall of Charleston to the British in 1780. Trapier gave the home and land to his daughter Elizabeth in 1769. It is assumed that the house existed at that time, but it is difficult to prove based upon existing documentation. As Trapier was preparing to marry for the second time, he was concerned for the well-being of his daughter who remained unmarried. Gifting his daughter with the house made her an attractive marriage prospect, and Elizabeth eventually married Edward Martin, sheriff of Georgetown.

Over the years the home was passed along to her niece who married John Keith, whose family maintained it until 1855. From then until 1931, when it was purchased by Harold and Julia Kaminski, the home was owned by various owners including Thomas Daggett and George Congdon, prominent residents of Georgetown. Harold was the son of Heiman Kaminski, one of Georgetown’s most prominent merchants during the latter part of the 19th century. He maintained holdings in shipping, rice and timber dry goods, groceries, and hardware. Julia was the daughter of John Pyatt, another prominent resident of the area. Harold served as mayor of Georgetown and was instrumental in the development of the Coast Highway, improvements in the Intercostal Waterway, and bringing inexpensive electricity to Georgetown. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during both World War I and World War II, and was on duty at Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, when it was attacked by the Japanese.

During the ownership of the Kaminskis, a series of renovations were undertaken to the historic home with the goal of updating facilities and making it even more comfortable for family and friends. Between 1946 and 1949 the Kaminskis had bathrooms installed for every bedchamber, in addition to adding a half bath to the downstairs library. They extended both the dining room and the drawing room on the first floor by enclosing what was once porches. The corresponding second-floor bedchambers were also extended. The second-floor piazza was removed and a small wrought-iron balcony was installed. Lastly, three sides of the original cypress clapboard siding were covered with a brick façade. 

— Compiled by Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast