The South Carolina Historical Society

The South Carolina Historical Society 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.

Continuing the celebration of Family History Month, pictured here is the Walker family posing for a portrait around 1900...
10/05/2026

Continuing the celebration of Family History Month, pictured here is the Walker family posing for a portrait around 1900.

This image is located in our Visual Materials Collection.

This vibrant watercolor genealogical chart traces the descendants of Solomon Legare, a Huguenot settler in South Carolin...
10/03/2026

This vibrant watercolor genealogical chart traces the descendants of Solomon Legare, a Huguenot settler in South Carolina.

This undated family tree is held in our Maps and Plats collection.

October is Family History Month! All month, we will share family trees and photographs from our collections. This undate...
10/01/2026

October is Family History Month! All month, we will share family trees and photographs from our collections. This undated photograph shows an unidentified family gathered beneath a large live oak, a scene that could belong to countless South Carolina families across generations.

Last week, we welcomed students from Elevate Community Charter School and members of the Council of State Archivists to ...
09/28/2026

Last week, we welcomed students from Elevate Community Charter School and members of the Council of State Archivists to the Fireproof Building! Visitors explored the architecture and history of the National Historic Landmark and learned about the origins of the South Carolina Historical Society.

Thank you to both groups for spending time with us. We loved sharing the story of our building and collections.

Rounding out our Hurricane Series, this photograph was taken from the corner of East Bay and Wentworth Street, looking N...
09/26/2026

Rounding out our Hurricane Series, this photograph was taken from the corner of East Bay and Wentworth Street, looking North, after the August 1893 cyclone in Charleston, SC.

This image is located in our Visual Materials Collection.

Timber and wreckage litter the waterfront outside the Atlantic Coast Despatch building along the southern wharf of Charl...
09/24/2026

Timber and wreckage litter the waterfront outside the Atlantic Coast Despatch building along the southern wharf of Charleston, as men begin clearing debris in the aftermath of the 1911 hurricane.

Peak hurricane season is here in South Carolina, and throughout the month we're sharing hurricane-related imagery from our collections. This image is located in our Visual Materials Collection.

Happy first day of Fall! 🍂This postcard of an autumn mountain scene near Walhalla, SC is part of our Visual Materials Co...
09/22/2026

Happy first day of Fall! 🍂

This postcard of an autumn mountain scene near Walhalla, SC is part of our Visual Materials Collection.

37 years ago, Hurricane Hugo made landfall in Charleston, SC, right after midnight on September 22, 1989. These images s...
09/21/2026

37 years ago, Hurricane Hugo made landfall in Charleston, SC, right after midnight on September 22, 1989. These images showing damage on Isle of Palms are located within our visual materials collection.

Even after a hurricane, the mail must go on. This postcard, labeled "Cyclone of 1911" in the corner, was mailed from Cha...
09/20/2026

Even after a hurricane, the mail must go on. This postcard, labeled "Cyclone of 1911" in the corner, was mailed from Charleston just weeks after the storm.

Peak hurricane season is here in South Carolina, and throughout the month we're sharing hurricane-related imagery from our collections. This postcard is located within our Visual Materials Collection.

Peak hurricane season is here in South Carolina, and throughout the month we're sharing hurricane-related items from our...
09/17/2026

Peak hurricane season is here in South Carolina, and throughout the month we're sharing hurricane-related items from our collections. The following excerpt of a letter from John Ball Sr. to his son, John Ball Jr., dated July 2, 1800, reads:

"Your Aunt E. Simons and the family went down to Sullivan’s Island S(un)day to spend the Summer—that place has become quite a fashionable resort—I would also build there if it was not for the dread and fear of “hurrycanes” such a one as that in the year 1752 would make a more dreadful tragedy—long—year—forever, may such dreadful storms be averted."

This letter is part of the Ball Family Papers, 1631-1895.

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

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