Name/Title
Interview: William "Cubby" Wilder [DVD]Entry/Object ID
2021.002.7Description
Interview with William Wilder. William “Cubby” Wilder was born in Charleston in 1940 and perhaps more than anyone else, has championed the revitalization of Mosquito Beach and has safeguarded its history. As a child, people called the area “The Factory” for the old oyster factory that was located there. His father, mother and aunt all worked at the factory. Mr. Wilder also recounts how Joe “Kingpin” Chavis had a store where he would sell seafood and other items to beach visitors. Wilder also explains some of the connections between various families like the Lafayette’s and Wilders and talks of how his uncle Apple Wilder built the Harborview Pavilion in 1953 and how other clubs and businesses followed suit. Hurricane Gracie in 1959 did a great deal of damage and destroyed the first pavilion. Mr. Wilder talks about the popularity of Mosquito Beach in context with other poplar Black entertainment spots and how people were drawn here from a large geographic area. He talks about the long journey to Atlantic Beach. He describes the dating scene as the “bird and the bees” and relates his memories of moonshine and bootlegging in the area. Wilder talks too about how Mosquito Beach was a safe haven during segregation and recounts that the Pine Tree hotel was open from 1962 to 1989 when it was wrecked by Hurricane Hugo. He also discusses the recent past and the future for Mosquito Beach.
Date of interview: February 14, 2019. Interviewed by Michael Allen.
See the video on the Lowcountry Digital Library at https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/250145.
1 DVD (46:32)
Digital files (MP3/audio and MP4/video) on MyPassport-OralHistory (external hard drive)Collection
HCF Oral History CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2021.002Source or Donor
New Library Catalog Records (2021)Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionLexicon
Search Terms
Lowcountry Digital Library, Mosquito Beach, Wilder, William--Interviews, Mosquito Beach (S.C.), African Americans--Recreation--South Carolina--Charleston, Segregation--South Carolina--Charleston, Discrimination in public accommodations--South Carolina--Charleston, Historic sites--South Carolina--CharlestonPublication Details
Author
Wilder, WilliamSeries
Historic Charleston Foundation Oral History ProjectPublisher
Historic Charleston FoundationPlace Published
City
CharlestonState/Province
South CarolinaCountry
United States of AmericaDate Published
2019Publication Language
EnglishNotes
Copy No.: 1Location
Location
Container
DVD (Videos) Box 1Shelf
AV MaterialsRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
2021.002.3, 2021.002.4, 2021.002.5, 2021.002.6General Notes
Note
Notes: MP4 (video) and MP3 (audio) files also available on Passport external hard drive.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
March 25, 2021Updated By
rowan@catalogit.appUpdate Date
March 30, 2023