05/14/2026
EDISTO ISLAND MUSEUM’S BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB (MAY)
A few months ago, in one of our weekly History Nuggets, you learned a bit about an amazing Edistonian named Hephzibah Jenkins Townsend. By reading our May Book Club selection, you can learn more about her. “Her Way: The Remarkable Story of Hephzibah Jenkins Townsend, written by Rosalie Hall Hunt, is a book of historical fiction that is based very closely on Hephzibah’s life.
The book is not only about Hephzibah’s strength of character and personality, but also about her strong faith and how that led her through her life. Although her life was not easy nor without tragedy – she lost more than half of her 15 children to deadly diseases – her faith never wavered. She was instrumental in founding a missionary society that became the blueprint for missions-supporting organizations today. Hephzibah was also responsible for building the Old First Baptist Church on Edisto Island. She, along with her slave Bella, made and sold baked goods to raise the necessary funds for the church. It is the oldest church still standing on Edisto Island, and the ruins of her ovens also remain on the island.
We sell “Her Way” here in our Museum Gift Shop and on our website, and it is one of our most popular books.
