Current Events at The Museum, Greenwood SC

Welcome to The Museum and Railroad Historical Center website! The Museum is open Wed-Saturday, 10am-5pm, with FREE admission sponsored by City of Greenwood Hospitality Tax. The Railroad Historical Center is closed for the winter season but will reopen again in Spring 2012.

Right Now at The Museum

African American Inventors: Creators, Dreamers, and Achievers

For our first exhibit of 2012, The Museum will be celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans in this exhibit. It will showcase the technological advancements provided by African Americans, and the impact that these inventions have on our world today. The exhibit features great minds such as George Washington Carver, Benjamen Banneker, and Garret Morgan and highlights numerous inventions including the hairbrush, the traffic light, and the baby buggy. All objects featured in this exhibit will come from The Museum's own collection.

The Museum staff is very excited about creating African American Inventors: Creators, Dreamers, and Achievers for the people of Greenwood County in recognition of African American History Month!

African American Inventors Exhibit Opening
January 27, 5:30-7:00
Free and open to the public

Love Letters Remembered: War Era Correspondence

Coming Soon: On February 11 from 7:00-9:00 PM, The Museum will hold the opening for Love Letters Remembered with a Chocolate Reception! Love Letters Remembered is an exhibit which weaves together the stories of love and loss that occurred while Americans were fighting at home or abroad. This exhibit will feature letters donated by the Greenwood County community and an array of furniture from The Museum's own collection. Tickets for this event are $15 per person and $25 per couple.

During this chocolate reception, various love letters will also be read. If you are interested in submitting a letter for this exhibit or a letter to be read, please call 229-7093 or email GreenwoodMuseumExhibits@gmail.com. Include the following information: the date of the letter, the parties involved, and the general subject matter. Also, during this event, The Museum's numerous volunteers and sponsors will be honored for their service. This event is sure to be a unique Valentine's date!

Museum Fundraiser and Chocolate Reception
February 11, 2012, 7:00-9:00 PM
$15 per person
$25 per couple
Open to the public 

 

Miniature New York City Christmas Village at The Museum

Last Christmas season The Museum received a beautiful Christmas present from Bob Walters. Walters donated his large Department 56 "Christmas in the City" village to The Museum, so that Greenwood citizens could enjoy it for years to come. The village stretches for approximately eight square feet, and has been set up with such care, that you can see ladies coming out of department stores, their arms laden with shopping bags, and a ladder set up by the Christmas tree as if the decorating were only briefly interrupted. Last holiday season less than a quarter of the village was displayed in the foyer of The Museum, however this season the entire village is on display.

The beautiful village lights up, and even has a running trolley. Favorite highlights include Yankee Stadium, and a beautiful ice skating rink. Bob and Lou Walters spent countless volunteer hours putting the village up this season. Their work paid off, as the beauty of the village is a testament to the meticulous craftsmanship of Department 56, as well as the art of their installation.

 The Village will be on display through January 30th. The display is located on the second floor of The Museum, and admission is free. The Museum is located at 106 Main Street next to Greenwood Community Theatre. The Museum is open Wed-Saturday, 10am-5pm, with FREE admission sponsored by City of Greenwood Hospitality Tax. 864-229-7093

Remnants of the Old Mill at The Museum

On exhibit now! Four different artists provide a record of the dismantling of the Old Mill. Objects from The Museum’s own collection are included in the exhibit. The Museum will be adding loaned objects from within the greenwood community to supplement textile related objects from its own collection. The exhibit will be on display through January.
 
This is a precursor to the textile exhibit that will be at the Museum in the fall of 2012. This upcoming textile exhibit will be designed and curated by The State Museum in Columbia, SC, and is sponsored by The Self Family Foundation.

Coach “Pinky Babb” Memorabilia Exhibit at The Museum

Beloved Greenwood High School head football coach “Pinky” Babb is celebrated in a new exhibit of memorabilia at The Museum in conjunction with the release of a new DVD honoring Coach Babb, The Legacy of Coach “Pinky Babb”. The exhibit will remain on display at The Museum throughout football season. The Museum is open Wed-Saturday, 10am-5pm, with FREE admission sponsored by City of Greenwood Hospitality Tax. 864-229-7093

See our events calendar for all current and upcoming events.

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Operating Hours Wednesday - Saturday 10AM - 5PM

Closed for Winter Reopens April 2012

 

The Museum Receives State Award read more   The Museum in Greenwood received an Award of Achievement Thursday, March 5 2009 in Rock Hill from the South Carolina Federation of Museums. From left are SCFM president Jill Koverman, The Museum director Matt Edwards, Greenwood Mayor Welborn Adams, and SCFM past president and Awards Chairman John Sherrer.

 

Our Mission

The Museum is an active community partner and progressive resource for the community’s cultural enrichment, education and entertainment. It is committed to the collection, preservation and interpretation of the material culture, history, natural history and art and culture of the Lakelands region of South Carolina, especially Greenwood County.

Our History

The Museum was established in 1967 by James West Durst along with a group of highly dedicated community volunteers. The Museum opened to the public in 1970 with one room of displays in the old armory building on Phoenix Street. Over the next several years, through hard work and community interest, The Museum grew to encompass the entire armory building. 

By the early 1980’s, The Museum had outgrown its modest beginnings and in 1982 moved to the current facility at 106 Main Street. Since that time, The Museum has continued to serve the community and been a community hub for the arts and culture. It was twice named the South Carolina tourist attraction of the year in its category. 

In 2007, The Museum closed to the public for the largest renovation and exhibit project undertaken since the 1982 move. During the following 10 months, The Museum building underwent nearly 1.3 million dollars in renovations and exhibit upgrades. Continued exhibit upgrades of an additional $300,000 are expected in the coming years with a final anticipated project completion date of June 2010. 

 

Board of Trustees Pam Hunley (President) Ann Skinner (Vice President) Hannah Gantt (Secretary) Hersh Hershey (Treasurer) Anne Drake Shelley Gilchrist Meg Schulze

George Kennedy Alicia Compton Dohnna Boyajian Julie Miner Pierce Stockman Chip Tinsley Matt Babb

 

Our Staff
Stacey Thompson, Executive Director

 

Regular Staff

Bethany Wade

Grant Stone