06/08/2026
Important Read: Individuals from across our great nation have joined the effort to keep Clarendon County Archives & History Center open.
Pamela Bailey, a podcaster and storyteller who currently lives in Texas, has flown from Dallas to South Carolina on several times over the past few years to visit Clarendon County Archives.
“If your ancestral families are from places like Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, you should really care about this Archives. If your family has early roots in some of these states that I’ve just named there is a very good chance that you have family records in this Archives.” (This is an excerpt from one of Bailey’s Facebook videos.) Log into the Clarendon County Historical Society’s page to see her podcasts on Archives in their entirety or visit her page at Pamela TheAuthor.
Bert Outlaw, an attorney currently living in Florida, searched for two decades for information on his Clarendon County family.
“I have been searching for 20 years, and the information at the Clarendon County Archives was most helpful. The internet and large libraries don’t have it all. It becomes necessary to go to the local ground level resources. Clarendon County Archives had access to find unique referenced, and people familiar with its history and people. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, saying goes, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ Keep up the good work.”
Melford W. Walker Jr., an attorney currently living in Georgia, spent three days at Clarendon County Archives researching his Clarendon County roots.
“Just a note to thank you for your professionalism and hospitality during my recent multi-day visit from the Atlanta area to your facility. I arrived with many questions and interests, and you and your colleagues took the time to give me guidance, assistance, and helpful suggestions at each step, even with several other visitors present. Your experienced co-workers gave me a few pointers that I would not have known to pursue otherwise. You all and the Clarendon County Archives are true treasures that I hope to utilize and benefit from for many years to come.”
In mid-April, Alisha Wilder who currently lives in Maryland was attending a conference in Charleston and contacted the Archives about her Clarendon County relatives that she remembered visiting during her summers. Wilder rented an Uber to spend several hours researching her Clarendon County family.
Clarendon County Archives played major roles in the research for the move “Bull Street,” several books detailing Briggs vs Elliott and the road to desegregation of public schools in Clarendon County, and research at the Archives led to overturning the conviction of George Stinney Jr. in 2014. Bailey also referenced a book, How High the Moon, that was written several years ago by Karyn Parson, perhaps better known as Hillary Banks from the popular television show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire. Parson’s historical-fiction book chronicles the arrest, conviction, and ex*****on of George Stinney Jr. using historical data she gathered from Clarendon County Archives.
The Archives’ staff has helped more than 200 individuals locate their loved ones in just the past several months. Since March 19, 2026, 163 individuals have visited the Archives with an additional 58 email and telephone information requests.
On May 22, 2026, Arthur Watkins, Primary Trustee of the Freedom Reparation Fund Trust, with advocacy support from the American Freedom Legal Fund, contacted Archives, along with Clarendon County officials requesting a “Preservation Pathway for the Clarendon County Archives Building.”
Watkins said that “FRFT’s interest is focused on preserving access to records that may assist descendants of American slaves, verified freedmen, families, researchers, and local residents seeking documentation connected to family history, land history, school history, church history, and cultural inheritance.”
“At minimum, we respectfully request:
1. A written explanation of the County’s long-term plan for the Archives building;
2. Confirmation of whether the County intends to preserve, lease, transfer, sell, or repurpose the building;
3. Confirmation of whether any deed restriction, preservation easement, or public access protection will be added;
4. A meeting with the appropriate County officials to discuss whether FRFT can assist with preservation, public support, fundraising, digitization advocacy, or stewardship planning.”
“The Clarendon County Archives building should remain protected as an historical building and public memory site,” Watkins added. “Its role should not be reduced to a storage issue only. The records and the building are connected to family history, public history, and the continued ability of Descendants of American Slaves to document their status and inheritance.”
Louis E. Venters Ph.D., Professor of History & Co-Coordinator; Public History & Archaeology Track at Francis Marion University, and Board Secretary for Preservation South Carolina, has offered his support in keeping Clarendon County Archives building open and accessible to the public.
Clarendon County Council will vote on Monday, June 8 to give final reading to the county’s budget. Archives is not included in that budget.
For the current fiscal year budget, Archives’ budget represented just .25 of one percent of the county’s entire yearly budget. Getting down to dollars and cents, Archives cost the owners of a $200,000 home less than the cost of one Happy Meal for the entire year. In fact, Clarendon County Council’s 2025-26 budget was 56 percent higher than Archives’ budget: $206,600 for County Council compared to the Archives budget of $116,520.
Please continue to voice your concerns over the closure of Clarendon County Archives. No the building is not leaking. The leaking roof was replaced in October 2025 without moving the priceless documents out of the building.
Keep your precious history secure and protected.
