Tribute to Mother Emanuel

The material culture of memorialization accumulated for months in front of Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church. It was overwhelming, as you can imagine. Hundreds of prayer shawls, blankets, and textiles. Boxes of correspondence. Artwork, stuffed animals, pieces of plywood covered with signatures. Fire hydrants and trees coated with messages in permanent marker. Not to mention thousands of emails. Mother Emanuel leaders reached out to city representatives and professional preservationists to help manage this excess of condolence. The Charleston Archives, Libraries & Museum Council aided in the formation of a Memorabilia Sub-Committee. Volunteers moved material out of the heat and heavy rains and into climate-controlled storage. Visitors replaced the flowers and crosses and candles quicker than they could be archived. By the end of August 2015, the collection already filled two rooms and it continues to grow.