Sesquicentennial
Commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War
The Charleston Museum will offer a number of programs to assist community commemoration. We inaugurated our new Historic Textiles Gallery on October 14, 2010, with a special exhibition of period clothing and textiles. Visitors are invited to experience our existing Civil War exhibition, which will be supplemented by small, focused exhibition of related materials; and occasional tours of Confederate batteries at the Museum’s Dill Sanctuary. Moreover, in spring 2012 we will present The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls, a traveling exhibit from the South Carolina State Museum. This will be at the Museum on May 13, the 150th anniversary of Smalls’s heroic flight to freedom in 1862 aboard the Confederate vessel, Planter.
The following is a list of the exhibitions and programs we will offer throughout the commemoration. Please revisit this page often as new offerings and details are constantly being added!
Current Exhibitions:
City Under Siege: Charleston in the Civil War
Ongoing permanent exhibit
This permanent exhibition provides a rich overview of events in and around Charleston from secession to 1865. Including the Federal naval blockade, Union bombardment, social dislocations, privations and five major Union attempts to capture the “Queen City of the South,” the war and its effects changed the lives of Charleston’s residents forever. Their story—one of suffering, sacrifice, initiative and tenacity—is told with extensive images and artifacts from the Museum’s collections. These include uniforms, artillery shells, firearms, “gunboat china,” the watch of a fallen South Carolina soldier, and the recently-acquired prosthesis of Colonel Peter Gaillard, who lost his hand in action against Union forces on Morris Island.
Plotting a Siege: Maps of Charleston in the Civil War
September 10, 2011 – December 22, 2011
Continuing its commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the Charleston Museum presents Plotting a Siege: Maps of Charleston in the Civil War. This small, original exhibition will display various examples of the maps held in the Charleston Museum’s Archives that relate to the Civil War. Historical maps, a valuable and fascinating resource, offer us a chance to see our world the way it used to be and this is especially true for the Civil War era. While maps are inarguably an important means of studying this conflict, they are also valued for their beauty. Many of the early pieces were hand-colored and contain unique content making them collectible works of art. Maps produced in wartime are especially distinctive as troop positions and battle information would be hand-drawn onto an existing map to create a truly precious item.
Upcoming Exhibitions:
Blasted: Assorted Projectiles and Explosives of the Civil War
January 13 – September 10, 2012
Lobby Exhibit
Continuing its commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the Charleston Museum presents Blasted: Assorted Projectiles and Explosives of the Civil War. This original exhibition explores the varied and sometimes revolutionary artillery shells and small arms projectiles that were used during this country’s defining conflict. Artifacts on exhibit include a rare Quinlivan shot designed to penetrate Federal ironclads and a two-chambered incendiary shell likely intended for use in Charleston’s defense.
The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls
April 3, 2012 - June 19, 2012
The Charleston Museum is pleased to host this traveling exhibit coordinated by the SC State Museum. The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls was curated by Dr. Helen Boulware Moore with research done by Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney. The exhibit will be in place at The Charleston Museum on the 150th anniversary of Smalls’s commandeering of the C.S.S. Planter in which he sailed the vessel, with his family and several others aboard, past five Confederate batteries and out to the Union blockading fleet. After the war, Smalls was elected to five terms in the U.S. Congress.
Past Exhibitions:
Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War
October 14, 2010 - October 30, 2011
Historic Textile Gallery
Commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and celebrating the opening of its new textile gallery, The Charleston Museum presents Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War. This original exhibition offers a peek into the lives of those left on the home front and those battling deprivation and fear while raising their families and protecting their property, as well as those fighting on the front lines. Threads of War will illustrate how, as the 1860s marched on, the war took its toll not only in lives lost but on fashion, supplies, and every aspect of life. Women's, men's and children's clothing, uniforms and accessories, quilts, coverlets and flags, along with magazines, newspapers, daguerreotypes and diaries provide tangible images of mid-nineteenth century Charleston and a lifestyle torn apart by war. LEARN MORE...
Video & Audio
Listen and download the audio podcast of these lectures!
Programs
Curator-Led Tours of Threads of War
First Thursday of the month, November 2010 - October 2011, 10:30 a.m.
Join us for a curator-led tour of Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War, an original exhibit featuring women's, men's and children's clothing, uniforms and accessories, quilts, coverlets and flags, along with magazines, newspapers, daguerreotypes and diaries which provide tangible images of mid-nineteenth century Charleston and a lifestyle torn apart by war.
Home School Workshop: The Civil War
January 25, February 22, March 22, and April 26, 2011 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
The year 2011 marks the 150 anniversary of the Civil War. Older home school students and their families are invited to participate inworkshop series focusing on the Civil War.The series consists of four classes and a project and will meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month.
Curator Lecture Series:
"...All Indifferently Clad." Confederate Uniforms in The Charleston Museum's Collections
Although this lecture has already taken place, we invite you to Watch the Video / Listen to Podcast .
Curator of history, Grahame Long, discusses the uniforms preserved within the collections of The Charleston Museum and how they reflected the needs, means, and, in some cases, priorities of the individual soldier who wore them. Early war uniforms frequently incorporated ostentatious and non-functional ceremonial elements, but, as the war dragged on, concerns for appearance quickly fell away and these aspects were discarded. With the Confederacy struggling to supply its soldiers, bare necessity determined the attire. By war's end, preferences concerning uniforms had drastically shifted so that merely having a shirt and trousers was fortunate, a coat in the colder months was a gift, and shoes an all out luxury.
Curator Lecture Series:Fort Sumter Copy Book
March 23, 2011
Although this lecture has already taken place, we invite you to Watch the Video / Listen to Podcast
On the eve of the Civil War, all eyes turned to Charleston and an unfinished fortification called Ft. Sumter. Please join us for this second presentation in our curator lecture series on the Civil War for a snapshot of this critical time in our local and national history. Russell Horres, a volunteer researcher at the Charleston Museum and guide for the National Park Service, discusses the thoughts and actions of U.S. soldiers stationed at the fort just days before the bombardment, as well as new information on the construction of Fort Sumter. The Museum’s archivist, Jennifer Scheetz, discusses and displays the Fort Sumter copy-letter book (a Charleston Museum Archives collection piece) upon which much of this information is based.
Curator Lecture Series: "...Deathly Blasts by the Thousands."
Advancements in Small Arms Technology, 1860-1865
April 27, 2011 6:30 p.m.
Although this lecture has already taken place, we invite you to Watch the Video / Listen to Podcast
Deathly Blasts by the Thousands: Advancements in Small Arms Technology, 1860-1865. Efficiency, cost, accuracy, and power were elements critical to the development of small arms in the mid-19th century. While attempts to "build a better mousetrap" often failed, others proved devastatingly effective. Advancements in armaments technology leading up to and during the Civil War instituted a new age of modern warfare and produced weapons more damaging than anyone had previously imagined. Rifled muskets with Minié balls, reliable revolvers, and the advent of metal cartridges all marked a decisive movement away from traditional armed conflict and into a far more devastating form of fighting. Join curator of history, Grahame Long, for the last presentation in our Civil War curator lecture series and learn more about mid-19th advancements in weaponry.
Curator-Led Tours of Battery Pringle
April 9 & 29 - Please see our Calendar of Events for a listing of all available dates and times
Join curator of history, Grahame Long, for a walking tour of Battery Pringle, one of four Confederate fortifications located at the Museum's Dill Sanctuary on James Island. Located on the Stono River, this battery was the cornerstone of General P.G.T. Beauregard's "New Lines" constructed in 1863. For ten days in July 1864, Pringle faced multiple Union assaults from both the ground and sea. Despite being undermanned and under-gunned, this earthwork battery proved a formidable defense among the dangerous war zones surrounding Charleston. Archaeological research indicates large numbers of troops remained stationed at Pringle and the other fortifications on the property throughout much of the Civil War. Battery Pringle is one of the best-preserved examples of Confederate earthworks extant today.
Public Quilting Bee
April 16 - September 17 (3rd Saturday of each month)
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The Charleston Museum invites visitors to a public Quilting Bee. Museum guests of all ages are encouraged to sit with our experienced quilt volunteers and give hand quilting a try, or just observe. Quilters will be working on a reproduction Chimney Sweep album quilt on a traditional quilting frame. The original quilt is currently on exhibit in Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War. The Quilting Bee will be held the 3rd Saturday of each month until the project is complete (approximately September 2011).
Civil War Living History Event: Foodways of the 19th Century
May 14
Join the living historians from the Carolina Ladies Aid Society for a demonstration of the complexities of food preparation during the Civil War. Examine unusual 19th century cooking implements and utensils and learn the secrets of techniques like Dutch oven baking. This living history event is held in conjunction with Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War.
Nighttime at the Museum
June 3
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Have you ever wondered what happens at The Charleston Museum at night after we all go home? Celebrate the end of the school year with your family at our annual Nighttime at the Museum and find out how history comes to life! This year’s theme is Civil War history to help mark the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the war. See living historians, both civilian and military, from this mid-19th century period. Learn what life was like, both on the field and on the homefront. Come as you are or join in on fun by dressing in historic costume. A light pizza supper is included.
Civil War Knitting Workshop
June 11 - Please check back soon for more details!
Civil War Living History Event: Fashion Try-On
July 9
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
What was it like to wear a hoop skirt from Civil War times? How did they stand all those layers? In conjunction with Threads of War: Clothing and Textiles of the Civil War the Carolina Ladies Aid Society will set up an old-fashioned "studio" and have dresses, men's jackets, hats, bonnets, fans, and more. Be sure to bring your camera!
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