The South Carolina State Museum, according to its slogan, is “South Carolina under One Roof”. Located at 301 Gervais Street, it shares space with the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum as well as the Department of Revenue. However, the Museum is by far the largest occupant of the building.
(Photo of museum main entrance by author)
The Museum is divided into three broad areas: Natural History, Science and Technology and Cultural History. There are also several small galleries which house a rotating assortment of temporary exhibits. One gallery on the first floor, the Lipscomb Gallery, serves as the museum’s art gallery.
The fourth floor is the museum’s Cultural History floor and will serve as our focus. The permanent gallery contains exhibits that trace the state’s history from Pre-historic times to roughly the present day. Included are replicas of Fort Moultrie, the site of an important revolutionary war battle and the CSS Hunley, a Confederate submarine. Also of note are a one-room schoolhouse that dates from the early 20thy century as well as a display of an old country store.
One of the highlights of the Cultural History area is the section dealing with antebellum society. Included are several models of cotton gins as well as a model of the original invented by Eli Whitney. There is also a small cubicle where one can listen to a story told in Gullah, a dialect spoken in the low country.
The Science and Technology area has several interesting exhibits including a replica of the Best Friend of Charleston, one of the first trains to run in South Carolina as well as a Model T Ford dating from 1914. There is also an area devoted to space exploration including several artifacts donated by astronauts who are natives of South Carolina including Charles Bolden, the new head of NASA.
The Natural History area includes exhibits on the various regions of the state as well as a small dinosaur area. Currently, the Museum is featuring a special exhibit, "The Powers of Nature" which may be experiences for an exrtra $3 charge
The museum includes a gift shop as well as a small café featuring sandwiches, salads, drinks and a nice assortment of fudge. The museum is open Tues-Sat 10-5 and Sunday 1-5. The Museum is normally closed Mondays but is open Mondays through Labor Day. Admission is $7 for adults with a combination ticket with the Confederate Relic Room available for $9. Seniors (62 and over) are $5 and Children (3-12) are $3. Infants 2 & under are admitted free. Active duty military get $1 off. The Museum is an excellent place for the entire family.
For further information on the museum, please go to www.museum.state.sc.us/
For a maplink, please go to maps.google.com/maps
For my earlier article on the Museum’s Fort Moultrie Exhibit, please go to www.examiner.com/x-8167-Columbia-History-Examiner~y2009m5d16-The-symbolism-of-Fort-Moultrie
For my earlier article on the CSS Hunley, please go to www.examiner.com/x-8167-Columbia-History-Examiner~y2009m4d25-The-CSS-Hunley-An-early-submarine
If you enjoyed this article, please check my Examiner page at www.examiner.com/x-8167-Columbia-History-Examiner
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