Nancy Bunch, curator and tour director in the study of the Governor’s Mansion Members of the Ann Pamela Cuningham Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, held their December meeting at the Governor’s Mansion. Nancy Bunch, curator and tour director, arranged a tour of the magnificently decorated mansion.

Anne McGregor, a docent, escorted the group on a tour which included a display of the South Carolina Battleship Silver on permanent display in the dining room and Hall of Governor’s.

The silver, all 66 pieces of the service, was given to the State of South Carolina with the South Carolina Daughters of the American Revolution as custodian. Mrs. McGregor gave a brief history of the silver. The tour ended in the parlor where the members gathered under the portrait of Ann Pamela Cuningham, one of South Carolina's important historical figures.

The members learned many details of Cuningham’s life and her role in saving and restoring Mount Vernon. The DAR chapter honoring her was organized January 14, 1926, and accepted by the National Society on March 3, 1926.

Mrs. Frances R. Jeffcoat, chairman of the State Society DAR Battleship Silver Committee, and Mrs.Leslie Wrenn, vice regent of the Ann Pamela Cuningham Chapter SCDAR The Battleship Silver is from the USS South Carolina . The ship was commissioned on March 6, 1907, when Governor Martin F. Ansel was in office. His term of office was from 1907 until 1911. His daughter, Fredree Ansel, christened the first USS South Carolina Battleship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 12, 1908, at the William Cramp Company shipyards.

On April 1,1910, Miss Ansel married Dr. George Henry Bunch in the Large Drawing Room of the Governor's Mansion. On April 11, during their wedding trip, they visited Charleston to attend the ceremonies in celebration of the Battleship’s first visit to South Carolina.

A highlight of their trip was the presentation of the sterling silver service to the ship by Governor Ansel on behalf of the state. The Governor and Mrs Ansel, his staff, Dr. and Mrs. George H. Bunch, members of the silver service commission, the State Regent of South Carolina, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the State Flag Committee were present on April 11, 1910, the USS South Carolina steamed proudly into the Charleston harbor under clear skies amid the booming of cannon and fluttering of flags. A reception was given by the Rebecca Motte Chapter, DAR at the Gibbes Art Gallery.

Jean Abrams, Joan Chamblin, Lynn Lindler, and Virginia Airial in the dining room at the Governor’s Mansion The next morning the presentation of the silver service and the flag took place at the Academy of Music. Governor Ansel presented the silver service and Mrs. Robert Moultrie Bratton, State DAR Regent, presented an elegantly embroidered Palmetto flag to Captain Fechteler, commanding officer of the South Carolina.

When the USS South Carolina was decommissioned in 1921, the silver was returned to the state and the South Carolina State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, was named Custodian. It was housed under the floor in Charleston’s Old Exchange Building during World War II hidden in a bricked–over vault beneath the Exchange floor. The collection’s location was a well kept secret, known by just a few people, until it was excavated in 1947.

Ann Kepley, Betty Richardson, and Aline Ferguson in the dining room at the Governor’s Mansion At that time Mrs. J. H. Munnerlyn , State Regent, accompanied by her lawyer and two aides from Governor Strom Thurmond’s staff, with blueprints in hand, led the retrieval effort. They broke through the brick seal, and, using flashlights, hauled up the galvanized washtubs in which the silver had been stored.

Nancy Bunch, the curator and tour director for the Governor’s Mansion since the Carroll Campbell administration, is the wife of George H. Bunch III. His mother, Nancy French Riddleberger Bunch (Mrs. George H., Jr.) DAR #725904 was a member of the Ann Pamela Cuningham Chapter. His grandmother was Fredree Ansel Bunch who christened the Battleship South Carolina in Philadelphia on July 8, 1908, when her father, Martin F. Ansel was governor.

Frances R. Jeffcoat, Leslie Wrenn, and Cathy Kennedy in front of the portrait of Ann Pamela Cuningham Nancy is a member of the family instrumental in designing, presenting, retrieving and continuing the care of the prized collection permanently housed in the Governor’s Mansion. The original cost of this handsome collection was $5,000.