Historic Columbia

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Historic Columbia

Preserve. Share. Connect. Inspire. Learn more at HistoricColumbia.org. Learn more at historiccolumbia.org/gardens.

Historic Columbia is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Columbia and Richland County’s historic and cultural heritage. We are the stewards of Columbia’s past, present, and future, offering:�

🏛 HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUMS
Historic Columbia operates five properties in downtown Columbia as historic house museums, each with daily tours offered Wednesday through Sunday.

🌳 FREE PUBLIC GARDEN

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Our 14 acres of grounds and gardens are free and open to the public seven days a week. Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Sunday: 1 – 4 p.m.

📆 PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Historic Columbia hosts dozens of events a year, both on our sites and elsewhere across Richland County. History lovers can enjoy walking tours of historic neighborhoods and our Columbia Conversations lecture series. Fans of historic preservation can take advantage of behind-the-scenes tour of historic rehabilitation projects and our annual Preservation Awards. Garden lovers can immerse themselves in nature during Birdwatching or Concerts in the Gardens. See our calendar at historiccolumbia.org/events.

🎉 HISTORIC EVENT VENUES
Many of our picturesue properties are available for rent for your special event. Visit historiccolumbia.org/rentals to learn more about our Event Venues.

🤝 COMMUNITY ACTIVISM
We work closely with city and county officials to protect structures with historical significance and places that matter to our community.
..and much more! Visit historiccolumbia.org to explore the unique history of our community, and help us preserve it for future generations to enjoy!

09/05/2026

💫 𝙶𝙸𝚅𝙴𝙰𝚆𝙰𝚈! 💫 With just 2 weeks until Jubilee, we want to know: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘦 2026?

Tell us what you're looking forward to most for a chance to win a Jubilee t-shirt swag bag!
🛍️ Shopping the marketplace
🎨 Trying a new craft at the artist demonstrations
🥙 Eating your way through the food court
🎶 Jamming to live music
🧩 Exploring the Kids Zone
🚐 Learning local Black history on a historic house or bus tour

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧:
❤️ LIKE the post
👯 TAG a friend you want to bring with you
💬 COMMENT with the Jubilee activity you're most excited about

A winner will be randomly selected to receive a pair of Jubilee t-shirts! 👕 Contest ends Wednesday, September 16, and winners will be notified by DM.

09/03/2026

As temperatures slowly begin to cool, fall bird migration ramps up. Birds are passing through the Midlands, making the Gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion a great place to pause, look up, and see who might be passing by.

Join us for an upcoming 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙙𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙨 walk to learn more about the birds sharing our historic landscapes. 🔭🌿

📆 𝙐𝙋𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝘿𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙎:
- Sept. 10
- Sept. 24
- Oct. 8
- NEW! Oct. 10 - Family Birdwatching in the Gardens: birders of all ages are invited to learn how to attract birds to your garden. Kids can enjoy creating their own gourd birdhouse to take home.

Full details available now at historiccolumbia.org.

09/02/2026

Check out these 📸 of Jubilee from 40 years ago! What began as a small, grassroots gathering on the back lawn of the Mann-Simons Site has grown into one of Columbia's signature annual festivals. Join us on Saturday, Sept. 19 as we celebrate Black history and culture in the capital city!

▶️ All the details for this year's event can be found at JubileeSC.org

08/29/2026

Have you spotted this year’s Jubilee billboards around town? We’re counting down the days until the 48th annual Jubilee: Festival of Black History and Culture on Saturday, Sept. 19!

A special thank you to Grace Outdoor for helping spread the word and for your continued support of Historic Columbia's community programs. 🫶🏿

08/28/2026

🌈 𝘾𝙊𝙇𝙊𝙍 𝙃𝙐𝙉𝙏 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙎𝙚𝙞𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛! Take a behind-the-scenes look at what catches the eyes of our staff on a typical day at Historic Columbia.

David and Kat on our 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 are noticing the details that help us share our work with community and inspire engagement.
For our 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢, represented by Brooke, it means gathering everyone's work and sharing it with the community.
Autumn on the 𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 is seeing our sites in a different light, as the background for memories in the making.

𝙑𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧!

08/25/2026

Historic Columbia goes back to school, too! 🍎 Every year, our education team connects thousands of South Carolina students with the people, places, and stories that shaped our state. Here’s how we bring history to life:

🧳 Traveling Trunks: HC brings history to the classroom with standards-based lessons and hands-on activities.
🚌 Field Trips: Students can step inside Columbia's past at of our historic sites to explore local history.
📚 Digital resources help educators extend the experience and make deeper connections in the classroom.
🎓 HC also welcomes college groups to draw deeper connections to history and preservation beyond K-12 learning.

𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 and keep local history alive with the next generation of Columbians!

Learn more ▶️ historiccolumbia.org/education

08/22/2026

We are 4️⃣ weeks from Jubilee! Join us on ꜱᴀᴛᴜʀᴅᴀʏ, ꜱᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 19, for a day filled with celebrating Black history and culture in the capital city.

🎤 Emcee Jeffrey Lampkin will join us all day on the mainstage, with support from our radio partners, BIG DM and HOT 103.9 / 93.9. This year's lineup includes local favorites

🎶 The Mickens
🎙️ Brittany Turnipseed
🎷 ᴅꜱɢ
PLUS 90s R&B powerhouse ᴛᴏɴʏ ᴛᴇʀʀʏ, and more!

Visit jubileesc.org for the full lineup and more information about artist demonstrations, the Kids Zone, and more!

08/21/2026

☀️ 𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒆𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒖𝒎𝒑 ☀️

Mary Ross Seibels in 1929 on the main staircase during her grand wedding to George R. P. Walker, Sr. Image courtesy The State.

1928 photograph of Mary Ross Seibels, courtesy The State.

1936 images of the central hallway and southwest bedroom, courtesy Decorator's Digest.

The Colonial Dames in 1953 on the front piazza. Bertha Seibels is pictured on the left. Image courtesy The Columbia Record.

1960 image of Harriet Walker at left with other Colonial Dames in the front dining room. Image courtesy The State Newspaper Photograph Archive, Richland Library, Columbia, SC.

Historic Columbia’s Great Gatsby Party in 1985, courtesy The State.

Democrats Hillary Clinton, Gov. Bill Clinton, James Clyburn, and Mayor Bob Coble at a campaign event for Gov. Clinton, who is running for President of the United States. January 4, 1992, at the Seibels House. Image courtesy The State Newspaper Photograph Archive, Richland Library, Columbia, SC.

📸 We hope you've enjoyed looking at Seibels House this summer. Kudos to the team at Meadors, Inc for compiling this study and giving Historic Columbia a greater understanding of this historic home.

Address

1616 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC
29201

Telephone

+18032527742

Website

http://www.HistoricColumbia.org/

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