Scarborough-Hamer Foundation

Scarborough-Hamer Foundation The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation's collection of Victorian Decorative Arts includes representative pieces from every style of the period.

02/01/2016

The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation's Collection 19th and early 20th Century Decorative Arts will be transferred to the City of Seneca, South Carolina. Dr. Mary Baskin Waters, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, stated, “I am pleased that the Collection will remain together and will be a majestic addition to the City of Seneca’s current museums, The Lunney House and the Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum.” Greg Dietterick, City Administrator for the City of Seneca, said, “We are excited and honored to receive the Collection.”

The Collection was exhibited for nineteen years at Kensington Mansion in Eastover, South Carolina until Kensington’s owner, International Paper, closed the Mansion to the public. Executive Director Rickie Good stated, “While both board and staff regret that the Foundation is no longer able to partner with the owners of Kensington Mansion, we are very pleased that the Collection has found a home with the City of Seneca. The proposal submitted by the City will ensure that the Collection remains together and will continue to be exhibited to the public.”

The Foundation Board also thanked all the members of the public who expressed their support for the Collection to remain in Eastover. “We are deeply appreciative of the support the Foundation received from the Midland’s community,” reiterated Dr. Waters. “It is unfortunate that we were unable to keep the bulk of the Collection in Richland County. However, we are very excited that our Photographic and Archival Collections will be transferred to the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina. With these transfers to the City of Seneca and to the South Caroliniana Library, the Board of Trustees has ensured that the unity and integrity of these Collections will be maintained for future generations.” The Foundation has also transferred artifacts from the Collection to Historic Columbia and to the South Carolina State Museum.

10/28/2015

Sorry we haven't posted any updates since May but we really have nothing to report. The Collection is still secure in storage in Columbia. The Foundation's board and staff have been in contact with International Paper and with Robin Waites of Historic Columbia about plans for the future. Our next board meeting is next Wednesday on November 4. We hope we will be able to provide an update on our plans in a few weeks. Thank you all for your concern! And a big thanks to all the wonderful volunteers who have helped us in so many ways.

05/14/2015

As of today, the Scarborough-Hamer Collection is safe and secure in storage at a local museum. Our thanks to the museum staff for allowing us to store our Collection in their fabulous storage area. We also want to thank the packers and movers of Smith Dray Lines for working with Foundation staff for the last three weeks to safely move the entire 3500+ collection! As always, our Board remains focused on the safety, security, and integrity of the Collection.

04/25/2015

Both staff and board members were very pleased to hear from International Paper at the April 13th meeting that the company will be repairing Kensington Mansion back to its original splendor. However, the agreement between the Foundation and International Paper is still terminated as of May 25, 2015 and our staff is preparing to remove the Collections from the Mansion as requested. It is our understanding that, once the Collections are removed, an assessment of damage and repairs to the Mansion will commence.

At this time, the Board of Trustees’ immediate goal is to ensure the wellbeing of the Collections by having them placed in a climate-controlled, secure temporary home. The Foundation’s trustees will do everything possible to maintain the unity and integrity of the Collections. They will also continue to update the public on the future of the Foundation and of the Scarborough Hamer Collections.

Thank you for your support and encouragement.

03/19/2015

On February 25, 2015, International Paper Company exercised its right to terminate the Facilities and Service Agreement between International Paper and the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation. The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation was granted a reasonable amount of time to pack and remove Foundation property from Kensington Mansion, not to exceed 12 months after receipt of notice.

The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation has received many messages from concerned citizens who have offered to help with repairs at Kensington Mansion. International Paper Company has set up a private email address for those who are interested in signing up to hear more about Kensington once the company has made a decision. Inquiries can be made to [email protected].

It is important for the public to understand that the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation is solely responsible for the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation Collection and is not responsible in any way for Kensington Mansion which is solely owned by International Paper Company. The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation will continue to keep the public updated on the progress of this transition.

03/13/2015

The Board and staff want to thank our volunteers, friends, and visitors for a wonderful 15 years.

03/12/2015

The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation's collection of Victorian Decorative Arts includes representative pieces from every style of the period.

03/12/2015

On February 25, The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation received the following correspondence from International Paper Company Vice President, Kirt J. Cuevas:

Reference is made to the Facilities and Service Agreement (the "Agreement") dated December 31, 1998 between Union Camp Corporation and Scarborough-Hamer Foundation (the "Foundation").

Pursuant to Section 6 of the Agreement International Paper Company, as successor to Union Camp Corporation, is exercising its right to terminate the Agreement. Accordingly, the Agreement shall be terminated 90 days from the date of this letter, or May 26, 2015. As stated in Section 6 of the Agreement, the Foundation shall have a reasonable amount of time to pack and remove Foundation property, not to exceed 12 months.

We understand from the Foundation's letter dated February 20, 2015 that the Foundation does not have financial resources to rent or purchase an off-site storage facility. International Paper Company is willing to assist the Foundation with some of these storage and moving costs. Once you have a cost estimate International Paper Company will discuss the level of financial assistance we are willing to provide.

We have valued our relationship with the Foundation over the years and hope we can continue working professionally as we end the Agreement.

08/08/2014

Just received another update. Kensington Mansion is closed until further notice. The mansion will not be open for tours this year and we will not be holding "Christmas at Kensington" in December.

05/12/2014

We just received an update regarding repairs to the mansion - and it isn't the best news. The roof needs to be repaired or replaced and we have additional damage on the interior of the Mansion. We are now looking at another six to eight months of work. We have been assured that we will be re-opened by November. We will keep everyone posted.

02/28/2014

We are sad to announce that the opening of Kensington Mansion will be delayed this year. Due to damage to the house and the surrounding park by the ice storm, we have decided to delay our March opening so that all necessary repairs and clean-up can be completed. We plan to re-open in June 2014. We will keep all our friends updated via facebook and on our website. Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience this might cause our visitors.

Rickie

01/31/2014

The Mansion is closed and will reopen in March. Thanks for giving us a wonderful 2013.

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Eastover, SC
29044

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