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Published: July 15th 2009
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Charleston Museum
When visiting Charleston, your first stop should be here to learn about the history of South Carolina. Since I was off yesterday, I decided to continue on my journey of "being a tourist in my homestate." It looked like it was going to be a rainy day, so I decided to do something indoors. My journey took me to the
Charleston Museum Before leaving the house, I printed a $1 off coupon from the Charleston Visitor's website and proceeded on my way. The Charleston Museum also plays host to two different houses. Both the Joseph Manigault House (right across the street) and the Heyward-Washington House (located further downtown) are maintained by the Charleston Museum. It costs $10 to get into each place, but they offer discounts if you tour more than one at a time. I decided to just go to the one across the street today. The Museum plus the house tour cost $16, but with my coupon I only paid $15. I saved a total of $5 by visiting both places.
Since the tour to the
Joseph Manigault House was starting just a few minutes after I purchased my ticket, I decided to do that first. Because it was early, I was the only one to attend the first guided tour. The guide was very knowledgeable
with the history of the house and I learned several great things just from this 3o minute tour alone. There are a few original pieces of furniture that are still in the house today, while other things are replicas of that time period. They also have pictures of the various members of the Manigault family hanging in various rooms of the home. It's a great representation of a city home within that time frame. My favorite feature was the beautiful chandelier. He said some of the prisms were imported from Austria (one place I hope to visit someday). You are only able to see the first two stories because they are not allowed to take visitors to the third floor due to fire code restrictions. Taking the tour of this home is worth it if you do the discounted price.
After touring the outside of the house some more, I went back across the street to the museum to begin my self-guided tour. The tour begins with a geographical description of the various parts of South Carolina. As you move along, you will see the history of the Native Americans that resided here in South Carolina. There were
Polar Bear Statue
Not a native of South Carolina, but a favorite display at the museum. several different tribes, and the Pee Dee region of South Carolina (where I am from) is named after the Pee Dee tribe.
As you continue on your journey, you will come to the Early Settlement section where you will learn about the Parish System, the Lord Proprietors, and how South Carolina came to be. One of the fascinating things I saw in this section was the document that was written to the crown of Great Britain describing the Carolinas in 1749.
Continuing your journey through the museum, you come to the section that describes life on the plantations. Rice and cotton were huge crops for the South Carolina farmers and often were planted on the 800-900 acre farms. Slaves were used to help gather the rice and cotton from the fields. The museum has a replica of the rice shoot that was used during that time.
The museum also houses a vast array of guns, rifles, and swords on display. This was extremely fascinating. I had no idea there were so many different types of swords used by different officers. If you are into guns and swords, you will enjoy this display.
The next section of
Gershwin's Piano
George Gershwin penned Porgy and Bess while living on Folly Beach. the museum describes the history of the Revolutionary War and how South Carolina played a part in that war. One particular display that caught my eye was the Swamp Fox display. Since I am from the Pee Dee Area, Francis Marion is a part of our history. The Swamp Fox is from that region of the state and played an intricate part in the history of the Revolutionary War. This display has things from the buckle on his shoe to a letter he wrote during the war.
As you move out of the history of South Carolina, you come to a section featuring the wildlife of the state. Granted not all of the things they have on display are from the state (including the stuffed replica of a polar bear), but most things they did have on display are natural habitants of South Carolina (Opossums, rabbits, squirrels, dear, birds, etc). The uniqueness of this display makes the trip well worth it.
Quilting played a major part of a woman's life within Revolutionary and Civil war time periods. The museum has a beautiful display of various types of quilts that were made during these times. Quilts were
Charleston Victorian Dollhouse
One of two beautiful dollhouses on display at the museum. made to help keep people warm on cold winter nights.
Perhaps my favorite displays in the museum were the final ones that I saw. One part of the museum houses several different instruments used in various time periods in South Carolina's history. George Gershwin's piano is housed here at the museum. Gershwin penned Porgy and Bess while living on Folly Beach, SC. Some of the other instruments on display were a lyre guitar, a pianoforte, and an accordion.
There was also a display of some of the dollhouses that little girls owned during this time period. One was a Charleston Victorian Dollhouse and the other a Hopsewee Plantation Dollhouse. I thought these were pretty interesting to see.
Over all, if you are into museums, this one is a great one to visit. It helps you learn about the history of South Carolina (especially if you are not from here). The Museum also has an area for the kids where they can learn on their level about the history of South Carolina. If you like to read every description, you may be here for several hours. However, if you briefly read through most descriptions and mostly look through the displays, you can spend 1-2 hours here easily. My suggestion is to get there a few minutes before 10, go to the Manigault House first and then do the museum. You'll probably be out of there by lunch time and ready to partake in some good Charleston dining.
If you decide to do the other house as well, you can do lunch and then visit the house. You have until 5 to complete your museum experiences.
CHARLESTON MUSEUM
360 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC
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