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Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

The South Carolina Historical Society

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Charleston, SC
The South Carolina Historical Society

More than a museum, library, or archives: a treasury of knowledge to be discovered.

As the state's oldest historical society, our mission is to expand, preserve, and make accessible our invaluable collection, and to encourage interest in the rich history of our state.

06/01/2026

We're excited to welcome our newest intern, Hayden Thompson, to the SCHS team! Hayden, from Hendersonville, NC, is a rising senior at Sewanee, where she studies Politics and Sustainability. This summer, she'll be diving into archival research, working on projects in our archives and the Fireproof Building, including updating records on our collection of colonial and early South Carolina currency. She'll also be a part of our Carolina Day and Sestercentennial celebrations!

05/30/2026

This 1931 plan shows the Ashley Forest subdivision in the West Ashley area of Charleston, surrounded by large pieces of privately owned land. While some of the street names in this neighborhood are different today, its triangular shape remains.

The early 20th century brought a boom in subdivision development across the greater Charleston area. As car ownership grew and infrastructure like the Ashley River Bridge and Cooper River Bridge made travel more accessible, rural land began transforming into the neighborhoods we know today. Throughout the month, we've been sharing plans and advertisements that trace this evolution, and this post culminates our neighborhood series.

05/28/2026

These Chicora Park neighborhood lots were advertised for their proximity to the Naval Station in North Charleston, which had just opened in 1901, a year before this plan was printed. The original Chicora Park was an actual park, designed in the late 1800s by the Olmstead Brothers, who were the sons of Frederick Olmstead, who designed Central Park in New York. However, the area was purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1900 and developed into the Charleston Naval Yard.

The early 20th century saw a boom in the development of subdivisions in the greater Charleston area, as more cars filled the roads and notable bridges, like the Ashley River Bridge and Cooper River Bridge, were built to make travel easier. Throughout the month, we will be sharing plans and advertisements for early subdivision developments, showing how land was developed from rural areas into the neighborhoods we recognize today.

05/27/2026

Join us June 23–July 4 as the South Carolina Historical Society celebrates the 250th anniversary of Carolina Day and the Fourth of July with free museum admission, special exhibitions, pop-up events, and family-friendly activities at 100 Meeting Street! See you at the Fireproof Building!

05/26/2026

Spoleto season is here!

As Charleston welcomes the 2026 festival, we're looking back at this cover from the 1994 Spoleto Festival U.S.A. brochure, which was celebrating the 18th anniversary of "the world's most comprehensive arts festival." From opera and theatre to dance, jazz, and visual arts, Spoleto has long brought world-class performances to our historic city.

This piece is part of our Pamphlet Collection.

05/25/2026

In recognition of Memorial Day, we share this piece, a 1945 program of the Clemson vs South Carolina game where players who went on to serve their country in WWII were honored.

Written on the front, “This program is dedicated to the athletes of Clemson College and of the University of South Carolina who have given their lives in the service of the country.”

This piece is housed in our pamphlet collection.

05/24/2026

This latest podcast episode continues our Dubose and Dorothy Heyward month, discussing these two Charleston Renaissance writers. In today’s episode, we’re talking with Annette Guild, the Metadata Specialist here at the Society. She recently finished a project to digitize some of the papers of the Heywards and we talked to her about the process and some of her favorite items! Listen wherever you get your podcasts or listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/31waX0YdFxjh65QEfpQxbr?si=t9BD-NHARySCume8mQY-nw.

05/23/2026

In the mid-20th century, development on James Island boomed, as this 1960 brochure for the Lawton Bluff neighborhood shows. A view of the Charleston Harbor was a selling point, with sections of moderately priced and luxury homes. The neighborhood got its name from the Lawton Plantation, which formerly occupied the land.

The early 20th century saw a boom in the development of subdivisions in the greater Charleston area, as more cars filled the roads and notable bridges, like the Ashley River Bridge and Cooper River Bridge, were built to make travel easier. Throughout the month, we will be sharing plans and advertisements for early subdivision developments, showing how land was developed from rural areas into the neighborhoods we recognize today.

05/22/2026

Grab the beer of the summer for the long weekend! The SC Historical Society has partnered with Holy City Brewing on a rebrand of their Holy City Lite beer in honor of America's 250th birthday! A portion of the proceeds benefits educational programming at the South Carolina Historical Society. Enjoy it in stores or at the brewery!

05/21/2026

Our COO & Director of Collections, Virginia Ellison, participated in Memminger Elementary's Career Day this past Monday, where she joined 3rd–5th graders to share what it's like to work as an archivist at the South Carolina Historical Society. 📚

Address

100 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC
29401

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+18437233225

Website

http://www.schistory.org/

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