News Archive
May 19, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Museum Closed for Memorial Day
Columbia, S.C.—The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum will be closed Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day.
Regular hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00AM-5:00PM and the first Sunday of each month from 1:00PM-5:00PM. Admission is $4.00 ages 21 and over, visitors under 21 are free.
Founded in 1896, the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is the oldest museum in the Columbia area. The museum focuses on South Carolina’s military history from the Revolutionary War to the present War on Terror. For more information please contact Jai Cassidy Shaiman at (803) 737-8095 or jcassidy@crr.sc.gov.
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April 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Civil War Photography Lecture and Demonstration, Exhibit Featuring Iconic Period Images
COLUMBIA, SC — On April 26, the SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum is hosting a lecture and demonstration on Civil War photography. This event coincides with the museum’s latest exhibit, “Civil War Photographs from the David L. Hack Collection.” This traveling exhibit organized by the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia features unique and rare period photographs.
These images include Robert E. Lee in the uniform he wore while surrendering at Appomattox and Abraham Lincoln’s last formal photo session in the White House. Photographs of battlefield medicine tents at Gettysburg, a military band, and Confederate spy Rose Greenhow are among the unique scenes on display. Also included is one of the first examples of photo journalism in American history – Alexander Gardner’s photograph series of the Lincoln assassination conspirators’ execution.
Brooks Johnson, Curator of Photography at the Chrysler Museum, will speak about iconic photographs on display, as well as the 
photographers of the Civil War. He will also discuss the various techniques utilized in this time period. A brief exhibit tour will follow the lecture.
After the tour, Jonathan Goley, a Columbia area photographer and artist, will provide an educational demonstration of wet plate collodion photography. This was one technique used by photographers during the Civil War.
The event begins at 1:00pm and is free to the public. This program is sponsored by The Humanities Council SC, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities; inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture and heritage.
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March 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Museum Launches YouTube Video Site
COLUMBIA, SC — South Carolina’s military history museum now has a home on YouTube, the largest video site on the internet.
The SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum’s YouTube site will feature behind the scenes stories at the museum. Viewers will be able to see how artifacts are prepared for display and also gain a sneak peak at items not usually available to the public for viewing.
This week the museum posted two videos on its site. The first video features Sarah Wooton, Chief Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, and a General Pershing re-enactor as they give viewers an inside look at the museum’s new World War I exhibit. The museum’s latest exhibit, “Forgotten Stories: SC Fights the Great War,” takes an in-depth look at forgotten South Carolina stories from World War I. The second segment features Curator of Education Joe Long as he discusses bolo knives, a popular weapon used during the war by American soldiers in the Philippines.
“We are excited about giving the community a new way to meet our staff and see the many exciting artifacts and programs we have here at the museum,” said Director Allen Roberson. “We are always looking for innovative ways to tell our story and educate the public about the rich martial history of our state.”
The museum’s site can be accessed by visiting http://www.youtube.com/SCCRRMM or www.crr.sc.gov/videos. After creating a free YouTube account visitors choose to subscribe to the channel by clicking the “Subscribe” button in the top right hand corner of the page. New videos will be added regularly.
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January 7, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“They Never Flinched,” Program on African-Americans in World War I
COLUMBIA, SC — The museum is holding an African-American history program highlighting the forgotten story of the 371st Infantry Regiment. “They Never Flinched: African Americans in World War I” will examine African-Americans fighting overseas and on the homefront during the war, with particular emphasis on the untold history of the 371st Regiment. It will also include the contributions of African-American soldiers in other wars throughout history.
The program, which includes a gallery tour, will take place on Sunday, February 3, 2008 at 2:00. Speakers include Dr. W. Scott Poole, Associate Professor and Associate Director of Graduate Studies at College of Charleston, and Steven D. Smith, Associate Director for Applied Research at the SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology. Other experts on the subject will be speaking and 371st artifacts will be on display. Admission to the program and museum is $1.00 for age 21 and over, under 21 is free.
The story of the 371st regiment is part of the museum's "Forgotten Stories: South Carolina Fights the Great War" exhibit, which features a life-like sculpted mannequin representing a 371st soldier, uniforms, and other items from the regiment.
Tentative Schedule for “They Never Flinched: African Americans in World War I”
An African American History Program Highlighting the Forgotten Story of the 371st Infantry Regiment
February 3, 2008
2:00pm-4:30pm
Welcome and Introduction - Allen Roberson
The Forgotten Story of the 371st Regiment - Sarah Wooton
Proclaiming Their Story: The Contributions of Rank and File African American Soldiers - Steven D. Smith
Break
"Change A-Coming": South Carolina African Americans and the Great War - Dr. W. Scott Poole
Gallery Tour
About the Speakers
Steven D. Smith is a archaeologist and historian with the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology. He has conducted research on African Americans in the military at Forts Huachuca, Leonard Wood, and Bragg for the U.S. Army. In 1998 he was the Principal Investigator for a nationwide historic context statement on the African American military experience. He has also taught African American military history in the USC evening program.
W. Scott Poole is a South Carolina native who teaches history at the College of Charleston and directs the history MA program. He is the author of several books, including South Carolina's Civil War: A Narrative History and Never Surrender: Confederate Memory and Conservatism in the South Carolina Upcountry. He lives with his wife, Beth,and their two dogs in Charleston, SC.
About the 371st Regiment
The 371st Infantry Regiment formed in August 1917 and consisted of African-American draftees mostly from South Carolina and white officers. After training at Camp Jackson, the unit arrived on the Western Front in April 1918. It was placed under the command of the French Army because of their desperate need for new troops, and out of fear that racial tension might erupt between African-American and white American soldiers. The unit was reorganized to fit the French army structure and spent the spring of 1918 training in French tactics. The regiment was put into battle to relieve the exhausted French and allied Italian units and fought until the end of the war.
A community reception was held in February, 1919 at Allen University in honor of the return of the 371st. The two flags of the regiment that were carried in France were presented to the community at that time. Those flags are now part of the collection of the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. Included in the exhibit, one of these flags is on display for the first time in the museum's history.
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December 17, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Special New Year’s Eve Hours
COLUMBIA, SC — On New Year's Eve, 1917, American soldiers and their families at home prepared to face a year of fierce battle in Europe. On New Year's Eve, 2007, the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum will be open with an exhibit showcasing their triumphs and sacrifices. Hours will be 10:00-5:00 and admission is $4.00 for adults, under 21 is free.
2008 will mark the 90th anniversary of American combat operations in WWI. Come to see the museum's new exhibit, “Forgotten Stories: SC Fights the Great War,” commemorating the service of our state's soldiers in the Great War. The in-depth exhibit chronicles forgotten South Carolina stories from World War I and opened recently in a new wing of the museum.
This one-of-a-kind exhibit, which features interactive kiosks and a simulated trench area, is designed to encourage individual connections to forgotten aspects of the war. Some of the highlighted stories include the African-American 371st Regiment, women in the American Red Cross, aviation pioneers, military bands, and advanced warfare techniques.
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November 9, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
World War I Exhibit Lecture and Gallery Tour
Columbia, SC— On December 6, 2007 at 5:30, the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum will host a lecture and gallery tour of it’s latest exhibit, “Forgotten Stories: SC Fights the Great War.” The in-depth exhibit chronicles forgotten South Carolina stories from World War I and opened November 9, 2007 in a new wing of the museum.
The one-of-a-kind exhibit, which features interactive kiosks and a simulated trench section, is designed to encourage individual connections. Some of the highlighted stories include the world-class African-American Regiment, women in the American Red Cross, Aviation Pioneers, military bands, and advanced warfare techniques.
To learn more about the CRR, visit www.crr.sc.gov or call (803) 737-8095. Adult admission is $4, and school tours are free. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. the first Sunday of each month.
Founded in 1896, the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is the oldest museum in the Columbia area. The museum focuses on South Carolina’s military history from the Revolutionary War to the present War on Terror. Founded in 1970, the Lexington County Museum has thirty-six historic structures located on seven acres in downtown Lexington. With its extensive collection, the museum interprets everyday life from 1770-1860.
About the Event
This event is part of a Public Lecture Series for the “Forward Together: SC in World War I” exhibit partnership among six city and state institutions, including the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, the South Carolina State Museum, USC’s South Caroliniana Library and McKissick Museum, the Historic Columbia Foundation, and SC ETV. This partnership is funded in part by a grant from the Partnership for a Nation of Learners, a leadership initiative by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
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September 17, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Museum Holds Special Artifact Viewing and Hosts Sharpshooting Demonstrations
Columbia, S.C.—In September 1864, Union sharpshooters found themselves surrounded by a band of Confederates on a Virginia battlefield. Outnumbered, the soldiers bolted for safety, cutting loose their knapsacks as they left the field. A Confederate sharpshooter named Oscar Fitzland Chappell picked up one of those sacks. Chappell held onto that simple canvas pack for the rest of the war, carrying it back to South Carolina when he returned.
This unique knapsack is an important and rare piece of Civil War material culture that pertains directly to both sides of the conflict. For more than a century, it has been in the collection of the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. However, due to its deteriorated condition, it cannot be placed on formal display.
On Saturday, September 22, the museum will hold a special viewing of the knapsack to raise awareness of conservation needs. The museum will also host Civil War sharpshooting demonstrations with the Berdan’s Sharpshooters living history group. The knapsack will be on display from 12:00-5:00 and firing demonstrations will take place throughout the day. Donations will be accepted towards the conservation.