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

The South Carolina Historical Society

Name: The South Carolina Historical Society
Address: 100 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC, 29401, US
Telephone: +18437233225

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The South Carolina Historical Society

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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.

10/21/2026

Yesterday, SCHS CEO Elizabeth Chew shared “Art and the American Revolution” at the Sumter County Gallery of Art. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a great conversation!

This talk is part of Stories Around the State, a program generously funded by the SC250 Commission. Through the program, SCHS staff lead small gatherings that connect local audiences with South Carolina stories.

10/19/2026

Our Family History Month series continues with a Pinckney-Means family trip to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, in 1889.

Thanks to a note on the back of this photograph, we know exactly who is pictured. From left to right: Caroline Means, Cotesworth Pinckney, Uncle Tom P., Aunt Rita (Marguerite Pinckney), Caroline P. Mitchell, Julian Mitchell Jr., and Aunt Anne P. (Anne Elizabeth Pinckney).

Do you have a family photo with names written on the back? Take a look this month, and if the names are missing, now is a great time to add them (in archival ink or pencil).

From the Pinckney-Means family papers, 1701 to 1983.

10/17/2026

Continuing Family History Month, we’re featuring another Allston family tree, a Georgetown County, South Carolina family. The tree begins with John Allston of St. John’s Berkeley, who died in 1719.

Robert F.W. Allston (1801-1864), a plantation owner and politician, was the son of Benjamin Allston Jr. and Charlotte Anne Allston. He married Adele Petigru, sister of James Louis Petigru (the first president of SCHS), and the tree follows their children and the families they married into. Their daughters Adele, Elizabeth Waties, and Jane Louise married into the Vanderhorst, Pringle, and Hill families. The tree also includes John Julius Pringle’s mother, Mary Izard Pringle, who later married Joel R. Poinsett.

This chart is located in our Genealogy Charts collection (GC-103).
Researching your own family? Visit the SCHS Archives to get started or click the 'Start Research' tab in our bio.

10/15/2026

This 1919 photograph shows a family gathered on the steps at 201 Laurens Street in Beaufort, South Carolina. Pictured left to right: Elinor Waterhouse, Georgia Crofut, James Crofut, Rite Crofut, Marguerite Waterhouse.

It's Family History Month and we are sharing family photographs and genealogy charts from our collections! This image is from the Waterhouse-Crofut family papers, 1860-1950.

10/14/2026

It is Day! You sent in your questions, and Sydney Derrick is here with answers. Watch now to learn more about the work behind our archives. 📚📜

10/13/2026

Family History Month continues with this 1951 photograph of the McLaughlin family of Sumter, South Carolina.

Iris Ladson McLaughlin and Arthur Spiegel McLaughlin both graduated from Lincoln High School and Morris College in Sumter. She became a longtime teacher and preschool program supervisor, and he built a career with the U.S. postal service. Both were active in their community and at First Baptist Missionary Church. Their children, David and Arthuree (believed to be pictured here), each went on to earn a doctorate and a career in education.

This image is part of the Visual materials from the McLaughlin family papers, 1900-1990. To learn more, click the “Start Research” link in our bio and search for McLaughlin in our online catalog.

10/12/2026

New episode of From the Vault is live!

For Family History Month, our October 12 episode features Virginia Ellison, Molly Silliman, and Sydney Derrick sharing tips for getting started with family history research using our collections.

🔗Link to listen in bio.

10/10/2026

Continuing our Family History Month series, today's family tree comes from the DeSaussure family.

Daniel DeSaussure (1736-1798), a merchant of Charleston and Beaufort, S.C., was the father of Henry William DeSaussure (1763-1839), a judge and politician. Henry William DeSaussure's son was Henry Alexander DeSaussure (1788-1865), who was the father of Wilmot Gibbes DeSaussure (1822-1886).

To learn more about the DeSaussure family, visit our archives in person or search within our online catalog. Click the 'Start Research' tab in our bio.

10/09/2026

The Mikell family gathers at Hickory Hollow in Sumter, South Carolina, in this undated photograph from the Mikell Family Papers. We don’t know the year it was taken, so if anyone recognizes the people or the setting, we’d love to hear from you in the comments.

It’s Family History Month, and all month long we’re sharing family photographs and genealogy materials from our collections.

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

https://linktr.ee/schistoricalsociety

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