South Carolina State Museum
Museum that chronicles the state’s history from early European exploration and Charleston’s colonial commerce to Civil War secession and modern industrial growth
Site Details
Pin location is approximate.
301 Gervais St
Columbia, SC 29201
Family Friendly?
Yes
Visitors Per Year
156,000
The South Carolina State Museum offers exhibits on the geographical features of the state, from the beach and coastal areas to the sandy Midlands/Sandhills region, to the mountainous Upstate, as well as exhibits on Confederate history, South Carolina’s contribution to the Space Race, and state residents who sacrificed their lives during the world wars and Vietnam. The museum includes a planetarium, observatory, and 4-D theater.
- The first-floor gallery includes the Lipscomb Art Gallery, with rotating exhibits by South Carolina artists. Also on this floor are the Confederate Artifact Museum and the South Carolina Military History Museum.
- The second-floor gallery includes displays on South Carolina’s natural history, including the different habitats in the state. The exhibits include displays on the dinosaur fossils found within state borders.
- The third-floor exhibits include a full-size train replica and the history of train transportation in Charleston. This floor also features displays on the textile mill industry, a feature display on the astronauts who hail from South Carolina, and the meteors that have landed in South Carolina.
- The fourth-floor exhibits include a section on Native American history (currently closed for updates). Other exhibits include a section on the history of the Carolina colony, the state’s role in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and Reconstruction, and more on the history of South Carolina textile mills.
- Rotating exhibits include Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume; Shared Sacrifice: South Carolina in World War II; Apollo 16 & Beyond: South Carolina in Space; and Make Some Noise: The Science of Sound.
The museum’s displays on South Carolinians’ contributions to the major military conflicts of the 20th century are especially informative and unique. The museum’s exhibit of Confederate relics includes the “Stars and Bars” that flew above the state capitol until 2015; the exhibit explains then-Governor Nikki Haley’s efforts to remove the flag.
For school visits, the museum offers a brief presentation on science (this evaluator’s most recent visit with an elementary school class included a session on the difference between solids, liquids, and gasses).
The exhibits pertaining to the Civil War make special mention of the institution of slavery and the debate concerning states’ rights driven by South Carolinian John C. Calhoun. While the institution of slavery is never condoned, the exhibits present the political disagreements over states’ rights as part of the discussions that precipitated the Civil War. The exhibits on South Carolinians’ contributions to our military and the Space Race also make special mention of African Americans who volunteered and served, but their contributions are noted for their sacrifices, not their identities or skin color.
The museum contains no apparent ideological bias.
The museum is family friendly and often hosts school groups. Students in South Carolina K–12 schools receive free admission to the museum. Exhibits such as the planetarium and the Science of Sound exhibit are specifically designed for younger children. The second-floor exhibitions on aquatic life are also geared to young people.
In the 16th century, the first European explorers (Spanish and French) arrived in the area now known as South Carolina. The first English colonists established a settlement there in 1670, located near what we now call Charleston. At the time, Native American tribes in the area included the Cherokee, who also inhabited parts of North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, as well as the Catawbas.
As an important port city in the New World, Charleston became important for commerce, which unfortunately included the slave trade. Charleston’s location and the fertile soil along the coast and further inland made the colony one of America’s richest colonies by the time of the American Revolution. South Carolina was the eighth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, confirming the document on May 23, 1788.
Almost 80 years later, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the union on December 20, 1860. It was not until 1877 that federal troops left South Carolina after the end of the Civil War, but the vestiges of racial segregation and the destruction from Union troops during the war would last for decades.
By the 1900s, the textile industry helped South Carolina’s economy to recover. By the end of the 20th century, the state’s low tax rates and strategic port locations attracted businesses such as Michelin and Boeing, helping areas around Greenville and Charleston to grow even as portions of the state along the I-95 corridor continue to struggle with high poverty rates today.
Owned By: State Museum Commission
Operated By: State Museum Commission
Government Funded: Yes
Did you know?
The South Carolina State Museum was home to the first all-electric textile mill in the world.
Recommended Reading
- Turning Point: The American Revolution in the Spartan District by Katherine Cann
- South Carolina, A History by Walter Edgar
Reviewed By
Jonathan Butcher
Acting Director and Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education in the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation
The opinions expressed above are those of the Reviewer who is providing a good-faith historical assessment to educate the public. Reasonable opinions can vary, and the Reviewer’s opinion is not necessarily the opinion of The Heritage Foundation or its affiliates.