The Charleston Museum

08/26/2026

The Charleston Museum Invites Lowcountry Residents to Connect with Nature Through Hands-On Community Programs at Dill Sanctuary (details below)

08/25/2026

A recent gift to The Charleston Museum, the pocket watch on the right was sold by James Jacks (1745-1822) and marked “Charlestown.” Jacks started his career as a watchmaker in Scotland, but spent much of his life as an entrepreneur and salesman. At times he would sell off his entire stock in his colonial stores in order to return to Europe and invest in the latest and finest jewelry and decorative arts. He was perhaps more of a pragmatist than a Patriot, as he left Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1780 due to the conflict in the area, spending a few years in Jamaica before settling in Charleston around 1784, long after the British had evacuated South Carolina.

Pocket Watch, c. 1783
Gift of Ken and Carol Rockwell, 2026

08/24/2026

A Revolutionary Treasure - But Only for One More Week!

In August of 1776, the Declaration of Independence was publicly read in Charles Town, bringing the powerful words of liberty and independence to South Carolina just weeks after they were first proclaimed in Philadelphia.

You can see a remarkable piece of that history for yourself, but only for one more week! The only known surviving copy of the Declaration broadside printed by Peter Timothy announcing this monumental news is currently on display at the Museum.

Don’t miss your chance to see this incredibly rare Revolutionary treasure on loan from Gilder Lehrman Institute The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History ! Experience a piece of the moment when the words of independence reached Charles Town - on view only through August 30.

Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783 is on view through September 20 and was made possible in part through a grant from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission SC250 – South Carolina American Rev. Sestercentennial Commission.

08/21/2026

There’s always more to discover about the place we call home! 🏛️

The Artisan Mount Pleasant headed to The Charleston Museum, founded in 1773 while the American colonies were still under British rule. Known as “America’s First Museum,” it offered Lee, Mary Ann, Ron, Joyce, Jack, Patsy, and Bob a closer look at the history that has shaped Charleston over the centuries.

For our residents at the AMP, exploring a museum with roots nearly as old as the city itself was a fitting way to learn more about beautiful, historic Charleston, South Carolina!

08/18/2026

This waistcoat was worn by Thomas Sumter (1734-1832) in 1766 when he married Mary Cantey (1723-1817). After Charleston fell to the British in 1780, Sumter was one of several leaders who rallied militiamen in the Backcountry to continue fighting the British. His aggressive style of attack had General Lord Cornwallis (1738-1805) describing Sumter as “our greatest plague in this country.” Beyond the Revolution, Sumter’s ferocious reputation would earn him the nickname “Gamecock.”

Take note of all the dark embroidery on this silk piece – it is in fact silver wire thread that has since tarnished. On his wedding day, Sumter’s waistcoat would have been gleaming in the light.

Waistcoat, c. 1766
Gift of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina, 2021

Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783 was made possible in part through a grant from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission SC250 – South Carolina American Rev. Sestercentennial Commission.

08/17/2026

South Carolina State Library Selects The Charleston Museum Director Carl Borick’s Book as a 2026 “Great Reads from Great Places” Pick

08/16/2026

Among the less assuming objects on display in the Museum's current exhibition, Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783, are three fragments of a Revolutionary War musket with a fascinating history. Consisting of a ramrod and two pieces of a barrel, these fragments are said to be all that survives of a musket carried by Levy, a free person of color who served with patriot forces at the Battle of Camden, South Carolina, on August 16, 1780. Discarded as patriot forces fell back, tradition says Levy returned to the battlefield to recover his musket in 1813. It is impossible to know if Levy actually recovered his own musket from that day, or mistook it for one of the others littering the battlefield. Nonetheless, Levy's story offers a window into the often-overlooked contributions of people of color to the Patriot cause and the ways in which memories of the Revolution endured long after the fighting officially ended.

Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783 was made possible in part through a grant from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission .

08/07/2026

07/28/2026

Take a look at the fly fringe on this 18th century robe à la française, which was worn by Harriott Pinckney Horry (1748-1830). Horry’s family was deeply involved in the Patriot cause, and with the British threat to Charleston ahead of the 1780 siege, Horry did her part by sheltering family members at her home, Hampton Plantation. Included were Horry’s children, her mother Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722-1793), her pregnant sister-in-law, Sally Middleton Pinckney (1756-1784), along with Mary Izard Middleton (1747-1814), Henrietta Middleton Rutledge (1750-1792), Hester Middleton Drayton (1754-1789), Alice De Lancey Izard (1745-1832), and Sabina Elliott Huger (1758-1799), among many others, making for a very crowded house. In all likelihood, each family would have also brought along additional enslaved servants, who would have made the work of hosting so many people under one roof possible.

Come see Harriott Pinckney Horry’s silk gown, now on display in Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783. It will be on view through the end of the show in September.

Robe à la Française Gown, c. 1770

Gift of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina, 2018

Please note that this gown must be displayed flat due to the shattering of the silk fibers and the wear and tear of age. If you would like to preserve it for the next 250 years, consider making a donation to the museum earmarked for the Textile Conservation Fund.

Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783 was made possible in part through a grant from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission .

07/21/2026

Molded leather helmets such as this example were generally worn by cavalrymen and were designed to protect the head from sword blows. They would have been embellished with horsehair along the crest, fur or fabric around the crown, and potentially even a crest at the front to represent the cavalryman’s light dragoons unit. Come see it now in our section on war in the Backcountry as part of the exhibit Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783.

Helmet, c. 1800
Gift of Jacob H. Lowrey, 1935

Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783 was made possible in part through a grant from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission SC250 – South Carolina American Rev. Sestercentennial Commission.