The South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH) recently announced a traveling exhibit will highlight important State documents from the early years of the American Revolution.
The exhibit, Foundations of a Revolution: South Carolina, 1775–1777, will display the 1775 Articles of Association for the District East of the Wateree, the South Carolina Constitution of 1776 and the 1777 Treaty of DeWitt’s Corner.
These documents are part of the vast collection documenting the history of South Carolina held by the SCDAH and are seldom placed on public display.
Upcoming exhibits will be on display at Winthrop University in Rock Hill on April 14, the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville on April 23, the Aiken County Historical Museum on May 23, and the South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston on June 27. The exhibit was featured at the South Carolina State Capital in Columbia on March 26.
For specific times of display and presentation, contact each exhibit site.
Dr. W. Eric Emerson, SCDAH Agency Director, State Historic Preservation Officer, and State Archivist remarked that “the SC Department of Archives and History has a long tradition of making South Carolina’s historic records available to the public. The 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding is an excellent time to educate South Carolinians about their state’s crucial role in the American Revolution by bringing key foundational documents to communities throughout the state.”
Archives staff will present a lecture on the documents and place them in the context of their production.
Exhibit curator, D. Andrew Johnson, PhD, noted that “since the South Carolina Department of Archives and History holds many important documents from America’s Founding Era, we thought this would be an excellent time to have some of them on public display. We want this exhibit to add to the broader conversation the public is having about the origins of our country.”
These documents and an exhibit featuring more will be at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History Monday–Saturday, 8:30 AM–5:00 PM until the end of the year when they are not at the traveling exhibitions. There is no fee to visit the SCDAH.
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History is governed by the SC Commission of Archives and History. Its mission is to preserve and promote the documentary and cultural heritage of the Palmetto State. The department houses one of the most comprehensive state archival collections in the nation, spanning more than 350 years of South Carolina history.
