Clarendon County Historical Society Museum

05/30/2026

05/27/2026

📢 HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! 📢

Partners for Change, led by Dr. Valencia Gray-Williams, along with Doc’s Delights, LLC, led by Dr. Tracey Baldwin-Ragin, are proud to help deliver meals to children in Manning's rural communities.

📍 Meal Delivery Location: Harvin Clarendon County Library
🗓 Delivery Days: Mondays & Wednesdays
⏰ Time: 12:10 PM
📅 Starting: June 1st

Please share this post with families, friends, churches, schools, and community groups so no child misses out. Together, we can make a difference! ❤️

05/21/2026

Jayce's original Clarendon flags have arrived, where & when shall we meet for you to get your flag? Limited number.
We’ll pay for them thru the Swamp Fox Murals Society.
They’re $35 each & you can make your check to Swamp Fox Murals Society. Let me know if you want to take a check to Archives, can put some flags there; or mail it or call me to put it on a credit card. Carole

05/18/2026

05/13/2026

Flag story is in our Clarendon Museum & Clarendon County Archives and History Center

For generations, South Carolinians have been told that the crescent on the state flag represents a “crescent moon.” But is that really true?In this episode, ...

05/03/2026

Very well said by Dr. Louis Venters, professor at Francis Marion University & Director of P*e Dee History Consortium 2026.5.1
There’s a troubling situation in Clarendon County that we should all be aware of:
One of our partners, the Clarendon County Archives & History Center, whose new director, Sharron Haley, just started on the job last summer, is being closed by Clarendon County Council effective in June. The Archives is a county agency that cooperates closely with the non-profit Clarendon County Historical Society, and it is located in a 1910 building that was originally designed as a synagogue and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Years of deferred maintenance have left the building in need of some attention, but the roof was repaired last fall, and according to archives staff the documents inside face no threat of damage.
All the archival materials are to be moved to a private facility while the building is being renovated, but there are serious questions about the extent of the public’s access or whether there will be any professional care for the collections at all, as the paid staff position is also being eliminated. Funds haven’t been secured for the renovations, and it is not clear when or under what circumstances the Archives will reopen.
For your reference, here’s a recent social media post by the Clarendon County Historical Society, and there has been good coverage by WIS, WLTX, and the Sumter Item (paywalled), among others.
As you all know, Clarendon County is immensely rich in history of local, state, and national significance, from the Revolutionary War to the civil rights movement, so we should all be invested in the integrity and well-being of their archival collections and the public’s continued access to them.
We aren’t asking Consortium partners to take any particular action at this time, but anyone with similar experience or support to offer can contact Sharron directly (info. at the link above). And if you’d like to show your support in person, consider attending a Drop-In at the Archives this Sunday, May 3, from 2 to 4 p.m., at 211 N. Brooks St. in Manning.
Best regards, Louis

04/27/2026

Come to the Clarendon Archives for a Drop-In, Sunday