South Carolina Historical Society

THE SCHS MISSION IS TO EXPAND, PRESERVE, AND MAKE ACCESSIBLE OUR INVALUABLE COLLECTION, AND TO ENCOURAGE INTEREST AND PRIDE IN THE RICH HISTORY OF OUR STATE.

ARCHIVAL: THE SOCIETY HAS APPROXIMATELY 3,000 MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS THAT INCLUDE LETTERS, DIARIES, LEGAL PAPERS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS DATING FROM 1670 TO THE PRESENT AND MORE THAN 10,000 OVERSIZED PLATS, MONUMENTS, MAPS AND DRAWINGS. OVER 30,000 PHOTOGRAPHS, PRINTS, AND OTHER VISUAL ITEMS ARE MAINTAINED, AS WELL AS A RESEARCH LIBRARY CONTAINING NEARLY 5,000 BOOKS SELECTED TO ADD CONTEXTUAL EVIDENCE THAT ENHANCES THE MANUSCRIPT AND OTHER ARCHIVAL HOLDINGS. THE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES MORE THAN 45,000 HISTORICAL PAMPHLETS AND PRINTED MATERIALS AS WELL AS HUNDREDS OF FILES AND BOOKS PERTAINING TO GENEALOGY. THE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES NUMEROUS ARTIFACTS RANGING FROM OVERSIZED, UNIQUE BATTLE FLAGS TO SMALL, PERSONAL ITEMS. MOST OF THE COLLECTION IS HOUSED AT THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON'S ADDLESTONE LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AREA. WITH THE MUSEUM INSTALLATION IN 2018 SELECTED ITEMS ARE EXHIBITED IN THE FIREPROOF BUILDING. ALSO, SOME ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS ARE MAINTAINED IN THE SOCIETY'S HEADQUARTERS. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADOPTED THE POLICY TO NOT CAPITALIZE ITS COLLECTION BECAUSE IT IS IMPRACTICABLE TO ATTEMPT TO ASSIGN VALUES TO THE COLLECTION BECAUSE EACH ITEM HAS CERTAIN ATTRIBUTES, SUCH AS AGE, PREPARATION, TYPE OF CULTURAL MATERIAL AND RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, PERSONS OR EVENTS IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORY THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE AN OBJECTIVE BASIS FOR EVALUATION. THE SOCIETY DOES NOT CONSIDER THE COLLECTIONS A FINANCIAL ASSET, BUT RATHER AN IRREPLACEABLE TREASURE OF SOUTH CAROLINA CULTURE TO BE PRESERVED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. PUBLISHING SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORY IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S MISSION. THE SOCIETY ISSUED THREE VOLUMES OF ITS COLLECTIONS PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR AND TWO MORE BETWEEN 1887 AND 1897. IT FIRST PUBLISHED THE SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE IN 1900. THE MAGAZINE'S EDITORIAL BOARD, A PEER GROUP OF LEADING AUTHORITIES ON SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORY, REVIEWS ALL MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS USING THE DOUBLE-BLIND METHOD. THE MAGAZINE PUBLISHES EIGHT ARTICLES (EITHER INTERPRETIVE ESSAYS OR ANNOTATED PRIMARY DOCUMENTS) PER YEAR, ALONG WITH APPROXIMATELY FIFTY BOOK REVIEWS AND TWENTY RECENTLY PROCESSED MANUSCRIPTS IN QUARTERLY ISSUES. THE CAROLOGUE OFFERS POPULAR ARTICLES AND PHOTO ESSAYS ABOUT THE STATE'S HISTORY, AS WELL AS INFORMATION ABOUT SOCIETY NEWS AND EVENTS. FOR MOST OF ITS EXISTENCE, CAROLOGUE IS A 32-PAGE POPULAR HISTORY MAGAZINE. ALTHOUGH THE EDITOR OCCASIONALLY ACCEPTS UNSOLICITED ARTICLES FOR PUBLICATION, THE STAFF OF THE SOCIETY PRODUCES APPROXIMATELY 90 PERCENT OF CAROLOGUE AT PRESENT.THE SOCIETY'S LIBRARIAN AND ARCHIVISTS OPERATE OUT OF ADDLESTONE LIBRARY WHERE THEY MANAGE THE COLLECTION, PROVIDE REFERENCE SERVICE AND ASSIST PATRONS IN THE RESEARCH ROOM. THE READING ROOM THERE IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE STAFF PROMOTES THE USE OF THE COLLECTION THROUGH SUCH ACTIVITIES AS CLASSROOM VISITS, PRIVATE TOURS OF THE COLLECTION, AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. SEVERAL SUMMER WORKSHOPS ARE HELD FOR TEACHERS TO PROMOTE THE USE OF PRIMARY DOCUMENTS IN THEIR LESSON PLANS. COLLEGE CLASSES IN PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION AND/OR FREQUENTLY VISIT THE BUILDING FOR HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE.

OUTREACH: THE SCHS UTILIZES SEVERAL FORMATS TO EDUCATE AND ENGAGE THE PUBLIC ABOUT ITS COLLECTION AS WELL AS THE HISTORY OF THE STATE. THESE INCLUDE A VIBRANT WEBSITE (HTTPS://SCHISTORY.ORG/), SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS (INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK), VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON PROGRAMS, AND TRADITIONAL PUBLICATIONS. PUBLISHING SOUTH CAROLINA'S HISTORY IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S MISSION. THE SOCIETY FIRST PUBLISHED THE SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE IN 1900. THE MAGAZINE'S EDITORIAL BOARD, A PEER GROUP OF LEADING AUTHORITIES ON SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORY, REVIEWS ALL MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS. THE MAGAZINE PUBLISHES EIGHT ARTICLES (EITHER INTERPRETIVE ESSAYS OR ANNOTATED PRIMARY DOCUMENTS) PER YEAR, ALONG WITH APPROXIMATELY FIFTY BOOK REVIEWS AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF RECENTLY PROCESSED COLLECTIONS.

FIREPROOF BUILDING AND MUSEUM: THE BUILDING WAS DESIGNED BY ROBERT MILLS, A NATIVE SOUTH CAROLINIAN AND THE FIRST PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED AMERICAN ARCHITECT. MILLS ALSO DESIGNED THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT-HIS MOST FAMOUS WORK-AND NUMEROUS BUILDINGS THROUGHOUT SOUTH CAROLINA AND AS FAR NORTH AS MASSACHUSETTS. THE FIREPROOF BUILDING WAS THE FIRST IN AMERICA DESIGNED TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF FIRE. THE DRIVERS OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IN CHARLESTON TODAY ARE EARTHQUAKES AND HURRICANES. IN THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY, THE MAJOR CONCERN FOR URBAN ARCHITECTURE WAS FIRE. DURING THE COLONIAL PERIOD, CHARLESTON (AND MANY OTHER CITIES) EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS FIRES IN WHICH LARGE PARTS OF THE CITY WERE DESTROYED. MILLS WANTED TO CREATE A BUILDING THAT COULD CONTAIN A BLAZE AND PREVENT IT FROM SPREADING TO OTHER BUILDINGS IN THE CITY.TO MAKE THE BUILDING AS "FIREPROOF" AS POSSIBLE, MILLS HAD CHALMERS STREET WIDENED TO PROVIDE A BETTER FIREBREAK. HE HAD ALL OTHER BUILDINGS ON AND AROUND THE SITE REMOVED. DURING THE 2016-2018 RENOVATION, CREWS FOUND FOUNDATIONS OF DWELLINGS THAT DATED TO CA. 1700-1720. MILLS ALSO DESIGNED WASHINGTON SQUARE, WHICH WOULD SERVE AS A FIREBREAK ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BUILDING. INDEED, THE ENTIRE SITE WAS DESIGNED TO BE FIREPROOF, NOT JUST THE BUILDING.THE SCHS MUSEUM, HOUSED IN THE HISTORIC FIREPROOF BUILDING, CONTAINS 6 GALLERIES THAT TELL THE STORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH THE VAST COLLECTION OF THE SOCIETY. THE GALLERIES, WHICH ARE LOCATED ON THE SECOND (MAIN) FLOOR, ARE: GALLERY I: A HAVEN WITH PROSPECTS: EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENTGALLERY II: NEW HORIZONS: BUILDING A STATE AND A NATIONGALLERY III: SECESSION, WAR AND RECONSTRUCTIONGALLERY IV: CHARLESTON RECOVERSGALLERY V: CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN ART, LITERATURE, AND CULTUREGALLERY VI: AFRICA TO AMERICA: PLANTATION CULTURE IN EARLY SOUTH CAROLINA (ROTATING - OPENED APRIL 2022)GOALS OF THE EXHIBIT:TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SOUTH CAROLINA'S OWN ARCHITECT, ROBERT MILLS, WHO DESIGNED THIS BUILDING. TO TELL THE STORY OF THE ENTIRE STATE. TO REVEAL THE IMPORTANT ROLE SOUTH CAROLINA PLAYED IN THE NATION'S PAST.TO INCLUDE PERSONAL STORIES OF ALL SOUTH CAROLINIANS IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE, AS REFLECTED THROUGH OUR COLLECTION. TO CREATE AN EXHIBIT THAT INSPIRES VISITORS TO LEARN MORE.WITH A COMBINATION OF PAID VISITORS AND FACILITY RENTALS, THE SCHS EXPECTS THE COLLECTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FINANCIAL HEALTH OF THE SOCIETY.