George W. McDaniel

Award-Winning Historian and Author

Executive Director Emeritus of Iconic Drayton

Hall, Charleston, SC

Consultant & Facilitator for Museums and

Historic Sites

PhD (History) from Duke

George W. McDaniel is the author of

Drayton

Hall Stories: A Place and Its People.

The first

book of its kind in the nation

it is the result of his

experiences in academe and museums and his life

in Europe, Africa, and Vietnam. A former Peace

Corps volunteer and a Vietnam infantry veteran,

he saw peace and war and learned first-hand

about cultural differences and commonalities.

Devoting his career to education and history

museums, he has earned awards at local, state,

and national levels, and been deeply involved in

education, historic preservation, fundraising,

tourism, and strategic planning.

A native of Atlanta, he earned a BA from

Sewanee, a MAT (history) from Brown University,

and PhD (history) from Duke. For over 25 years,

he served as the Executive Director of Drayton

Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, of the

National Trust for Historic Preservation,

recording oral interviews with descendants (both

White and Black), board members, donors, staff,

and professionals in history, tourism, museums,

architecture, and historic preservation. The

resulting book,

“Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and

Its People”

presents a mosaic of stories and

insights that uses history to bring diverse people

together, a place-based strategy applicable

nationwide.

He is the president of McDaniel Consulting, LLC,

a strategy firm that helps organizations use

history to build bridges to broader constituents.

An engaging speaker, he combines his

professional perspectives with the needs and

opportunities of his audience and clients.

Winner of the 2023 Alexander S. Salley

Professional Service Award

Winner of the 2023 South Carolina

Preservation Honor Award

National Finalist in the 2023

AASLH Leadership in History Award

Guest Speaker:

 Atlanta History Center

 Charleston Library Society

 Colonial Dames, Washington DC

 Drayton Hall Preservation Trust

 History Leadership Institute

 SC Archives & History Center

 SC Public Radio

Suggested Topics:

 Using a Historic Place to Build Community

 White and Black Descendants Remember

Drayton Hall

 How Place-Based Strategies Can Strengthen

Communities Nationwide

 A Time Machine: Historic Sites as Centers for

Preserving History

 Using the Recent Past to Enhance Cross-

Cultural Understanding

 Choosing a Future for Historic Places

Books by George W. McDaniel



Hearth and Home: Preserving a People’s Culture

(National Trust for Historic Preservation

Honor Award winner)



Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People



Ashley River Stories: A Place and Its People

(Pub. Date: 2024)



Peace & War Stories: West Africa and Vietnam

(Pub. Date: 2024)

Praise for Author George McDaniel:

“

McDaniel has helped bring this amazing place to life.”

— Paul

Edmondson, President, National Trust for Historic Preservation

“There’s magic in telling the story.”

— Helen Hill, CEO, Explore Charleston (Convention & Visitors Bureau)

“A remarkable narrative.”

— Brent D. Glass, Director Emeritus, National Museum of American History,

The Smithsonian Institution

“Drayton Hall Stories is in position to help change our national narrative.”

— Joseph McGill Jr.,

Founder and Executive Director, The Slave Dwelling Project

“Provides meaningful conversations about race and history…and teaches us the value of engaging people.”

— Michelle McCollum, President of the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor

Rave Reviews for Speaker George McDaniel:

"A masterful job! His innovative mixture of spoken experience and participant interaction enables an audience to

thoroughly invest themselves.”

— W. Eric Emerson, Ph.D., Director, SC Department of Archives and History

“George McDaniel continues to inspire as he delivers a compelling model for understanding America’s historic

sites.”

— Carol B. Cadou, Executive Director, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America

"A nationally respected museum professional, McDaniel helps organizations use history, place, and

culture to enhance community.”

— Antiques & The Arts Weekly

“For more than a quarter century, George has represented the very best in historic site leadership

and his innovative approaches have influenced the way engagement and interpretation are done.”

— Stephanie K. Meeks, former president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Contributor and Essayist



Stewards of Memory: The Past, Present and Future of Historic Preservation at Washington’s Mount

Vernon



The Material World of Eyre Hall: Four Centuries of Chesapeake History

C O N T A C T

gmcdaniel4444@gmail.com

843-708-5466

102 Rutherford Street

Summerville, SC 29483

https://www.mcdanielconsulting.net/

https://www.mcdanielconsulting.net/drayton-

hall-book/

https://bit.ly/GWM-Facebook