Elyse Luray (l) of History Detectives and David Brinkman stand by the marker that was proven wrong by David’s research.
David Brinkman believed the marker on the Broad River Bridge in Columbia was mistaken. His personal research suggested Sherman’s army crossed the river upstream from the bridge, not downstream as the marker indicates. His theory was challenged by the PBS TV show, History Detectives, in the spring of 2009.
Armed with Dr. John Leader, S.C. archeologist and now chairman of the Greater Piedmont chapter of The Explorers Club, and Leader’s ground–probing equipment, Brinkman accepted the challenge.
Brinkman is no babe in the woods. He has an A.S. degree from Midlands Tech (summa cum laude), a B.S. degree from USC (magna cum laude) and has worked for 25 years as an engineer and software developer for international firms located in Columbia. Samples of his work can be seen at http:// www.dobrinkman.net/ bridge) At the January meeting of the Explorers Club, Brinkman, secretary of the club, presented his finding on the erroneous marker. He explained how he and Leader convinced Elyse Luray, host of History Detectives, the marker was incorrect.
This simulation by David Brinkman shows how Confederates prepared to challenge Sherman’s army as it crossed the Broad River in 1865.
As was shown September 7, 2009, History Detectives show ( www.pbs.org/ video/ program /1138014438), they used a gradiometer to measure electrostatic feedback from the soil and drew a picture of the centuries of traffic along the bank of the Broad River. Brink- man and Leader pinpointed where Sherman staged his troops before crossing the Broad River… upstream from the bridge.
Not content with proving the Sherman marker wrong, Brinkman has challenged other facts of local history such as the location of the McGowan and Stark ferry, the first (1791) Columbia bridge across the Broad River. He is now seeking the site where De Soto crossed the Broad River in 1540. He is also working on a 3D picture book based on stereoscopic photographs taken in Charleston by Sherman’s photographer, and a virtual history tour guide phone app for Columbia’s Riverwalk. You walk, the phone talks.
The Greater Piedmont Chapter of The Explorers Club, an international organization whose members were first to the poles, first to the summit of Mt. Everest, first to the bottom of the ocean, and first to the moon, meets monthly in Columbia for lunch and a speaker. For information, contact Chairman John Leader at leader@ sc. edu.
Loading Comments