The Charleston Museum: America's First Museum

By Carl P. Borick

A look inside the oldest museum in the United States

Since its founding in 1773, the Charleston Museum has served as a mecca of learning and discovery. In celebration of its 250th anniversary, this commemorative volume brings its rich history to life, offering insights into many of its 2.4 million collected artifacts while detailing the contributions of key figures, such as Gabriel Manigault, Laura Bragg, and Milby Burton, who made it one of the premier museums in the southern United States.

This handsomely illustrated compendium showcases approximately 100 prized pieces from the museum's impressive collections in archaeology, natural history, archived materials, decorative arts, and historic textiles, as well as its preservation of historic landmarks, such as the Heyward-Washington House, the Joseph Manigault House, and the Dill Sanctuary, a 580-acre wildlife refuge on nearby James Island. The collections, unmatched in their interpretive value to South Carolina cultural and natural history, make this museum a place of endearing value to the Charleston community and the Palmetto State as it continues to evolve and thrive into the twenty-first century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
• Release date: Jun 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781643362724

Book preview

THE CHARLESTON

MUSEUM

America’s First Museum

© 2022 University of South Carolina

Published by the University of South Carolina Press

Columbia, South Carolina 29208

www.uscpress.com

Manufactured in Korea

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data can be found at http://catalog.loc.gov/.

ISBN: 978-1-64336-271-7 (hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1-64336-272-4 (ebook)

Frontispiece: Silver pitcher, from the shop of Heloise Boudo, ca. 1830.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

1America’s First Museum

2Archaeology Collection

3Archives Collection

4Historic Textiles Collection

5History Collection

6Natural History Collection

7Heyward-Washington House

8Joseph Manigault House

9Dill Sanctuary

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Foreword

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Yale-educated geologist Dr. Oliver Cummings Farrington was well positioned to comment on the significance of the Charleston Museum. He worked with the US National Museum, now the Smithsonian, in the early 1890s, was then curator of geology at Chicago’s Field Museum of National History beginning in 1894, and served as president of the American Association of Museums, now the American Alliance of Museums, from 1914 to 1916. In the August 13, 1915, issue of Science, he published an article titled The Rise of Natural History Museums in which he wrote, The first natural history museum to be established in our country, so far as appears from present records, was at Charleston, S. C., in [January] 1773. In concluding his discussion of America’s first museum, Farrington wrote, It is gratifying that this museum has retained its existence to the present day and under the influence of its present able and energetic director is younger and stronger than ever. More than a hundred years after Farrington wrote these words, it is gratifying to know that this statement describes well the Charleston Museum of today. However, the tribute is not just to the history of the leadership of the Charleston Museum but also to the entire museum community, including its administration and staff, its active corps of volunteers, and its many community supporters.

It has been our privilege to serve, at various times, as president of the board of trustees of the Charleston Museum. Despite that our terms as board president spanned nearly three decades, that time period is just a fraction of the long and esteemed history of this institution. Our participation is part of a long tradition of oversight for this institution that began with some of our nation’s founders, including Thomas Heyward Jr., and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. On behalf of our entire community, we are immensely proud of the museum’s many accomplishments, and we have had the opportunity to see firsthand the many contributions that it has made and continues to make.

There are many things that make the Charleston Museum special. The most obvious, of course, is the organization’s longevity—surviving wars, a state effort to secede, natural disasters, epidemics, severe economic downturns, and, even, at times, lack of interest and support. Yet, it survived and will continue to do so.

At the heart of the Charleston Museum is its tremendously rich collection. The museum has acquired, catalogued, preserved, and managed artifacts of cultural importance that are the foundation of its mission of educating through research, exhibits, and public programs. Throughout these pages you will see a sampling of the collection, which tells the story of Charleston and the Lowcountry and provides a unique window to the world by viewing its historically collected items.

Preservation is also a key attribute, which is clearly evidenced in the acquisition and care of properties such as the Heyward-Washington House, Joseph Manigault House, and the Dill Sanctuary, all of which would not exist in their current states if not for the museum’s foresight and attentiveness.

Education, in the context of stewardship of important pieces of heritage, has been a driving motivation since the museum was founded, and every expectation indicates that this will continue for the museum’s next two and a half centuries.

In terms of its preservation of area heritage as a key tenet of its mission, the Charleston Museum is an institution of endearing value. This is so not only with regard to the local community that has nurtured it but also nationally and internationally, clearly evidenced in the scholars from around the world who research its collections and the visitors who arrive from every state in the United States and more than sixty countries.

We are honored to have served

AMERICA’S FIRST MUSEUM

DOUGLAS H. SASS (2018–2022)

MARGARET W. GARRETT (2014–2018)

JOHN RASHFORD (2008–2014)

CRAIG M. BENNETT JR. (2006–2008)

JOHN C. VON LEHE JR. (2002–2006)

HUGH C. LANE JR. (1994–2002)

JANE WARING (1984–1985)

Acknowledgments

Carl Borick

Director

The Charleston Museum is pleased to present this book commemorating the 250th anniversary of its founding. The publication would not have been possible without the backing of many individuals and organizations. Their dedication and support exemplify our community’s long-standing investment in the museum and its mission. Such interest demonstrates why this institution has been in existence for two and a half centuries. We are most grateful.

The Mills Bee Lane Memorial Foundation made a generous contribution to the project that allowed it to move forward. The Lane family has had a long history of support for the museum, dating to the 1960s, when Hugh C. Lane, a member of the board of trustees, advocated for a branch H. L. Hunley museum on Broad Street. Both Lane and his son, Hugh C. Lane Jr., served as president of the board of trustees at critical periods. The latter was particularly influential in suggesting the concept for this book.

Another champion of this book was Douglas H. Sass, immediate past president, who not only contributed financially but also provided excellent leadership for the board of trustees during a time of significant change in historical interpretation and the pandemic of the COVID-19 virus. Throughout, he steered the museum to focus on its educational mission.

Thanks also goes to former President John Rashford and all the former presidents who provided input to the Foreword, which so articulately expresses their sentiments about the museum. The board of trustees made this anniversary milestone a key component of the strategic plan, and a special thanks goes to one of those trustees, Mr. Roy Maybank, and his wife, Amanda, for contributing to publication costs.

We are most grateful to the staff at the University of South Carolina Press for stewarding the physical production of this work. The museum staff, however, were the primary developers of its content. Susan McKellar, chief of museum operations, contributed to the book’s concept. Jennifer McCormick, chief of collections, authored the Archives Collection chapter but also diligently copyedited the other sections as well. Stephanie Thomas, chief of education, provided excellent input for the historic houses. Matthew Gibson, curator of natural history; Martha Zierden, curator of historical archaeology; and Virginia Theerman, curator of historic textiles, contributed the chapters about their respective collections; and Sean Money, graphic designer, provided most of the photography that appears in the work and created the layout.

Finally, we thank our members, donors, volunteers, and other benefactors who have supported the museum through the years. The museum continues to thrive because of you.

Entrance to the Charleston Museum, 121 Rutledge Avenue, ca. 1947.

CHAPTER 1

America’s First Museum

Carl P. Borick

Director

Unquestionably, throughout its history the Charleston Museum has been about discovery and learning. Although the form and substance of the institution has changed over two and a half centuries, this fundamental theme has remained.

The forebear of the Charleston Museum was founded on January 12, 1773, by members of the Charleston Library Society, when South Carolina was still a British colony. Established with the British Museum in mind, ironically many of these same men who wished to emulate this example would just two years later be in open revolt against Great Britain.

The founders of this first museum were wealthy elites who controlled the politics and economy of South Carolina. It was their wealth, derived on the backs of thousands of enslaved men and women, which enabled them to not only hold this power but also to dabble in cultural pursuits and scientific inquiry in this age of exploration. Proud of their South Carolina heritage, they wished to promote the resources of the colony and also advance it economically and agriculturally. As they noted in their prospectus, taking into Consideration, the many Advantages and great Credit that would result to the Province, from a full and accurate NATURAL HISTORY of the same, and being desirous to promote so useful a Design, they appointed a committee to collect materials for such a purpose.¹

The plan