The development and prosperity of the Gardens changed drastically during Williams Middleton’s ownership. In signing the Ordinance of Secession, he endorsed the last Confederate cause; a failed attempt at independence that eventually led to the destruction of Middleton Place.  On February 22, 1865, a detachment of the 56th New York Volunteer Regiment burned and looted the house and gardens.  All that remained was the south dependency building, which is today the Middleton Place House Museum.

Two decades after the Civil War, during the great Charleston earthquake of 1886, Middleton Place was dealt yet another destructive blow. The Garden’s terraces were ripped open and the water in the Butterfly Lakes was sucked dry, reshaping in just minutes what had taken scores of slaves a decade to build.

The Civil War and the great earthquake of 1886 had taken its toll, and Middleton Place Gardens lay overgrown and neglected until inherited by J.J. Pringle Smith in 1916. He soon began the massive project of restoring the Gardens to their original splendor of the mid-eighteenth century. The restoration of these elegant and beautiful Gardens gained national attention, and on the occasion of the Garden’s bicentennial anniversary in 1941, The Garden Club of America awarded the Bulkley Medal to Middleton Place “in commemoration of Two Hundred Years of enduring Beauty.” Fifty years later, the International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has heightened that distinction, naming Middleton Place one of six U.S. gardens of international importance.

In 1974, J.J. Pringle Smith’s heirs established the non-profit Middleton Place Foundation, which now owns the Middleton Place National Historic Landmark. Today, Middleton Place is a thriving restoration or eighteenth and nineteenth century plantation life. Having survived wars, earthquakes, and hurricanes, including Hurricane Hugo in September of 1989, Middleton Place remains a resilient masterpiece of landscape design and a well-preserved plantation that demonstrates two centuries of plantation life.

Middleton Place is open daily at 9:00 a.m.

Our Vision
The South Carolina Aquarium will be a world-class model promoting a healthy, sustainable balance among human beings, wildlife, and the earth we share. We will lead by example locally, regionally, and nationally, engaging visitors, offering science-based education, and collaborating with partners in wildlife conservation and research.

Our Staff
The South Carolina is staffed by roughly 85 full time staff and over 400 volunteers in various areas of service, from education and husbandry to marketing and institutional advancement. Become a part of our mission and vision by checking out our job opportunities, internships or volunteer positions.

Designed by gentleman architect Gabriel Manigault for his brother, Joseph, this three-story brick town-house is an exceptional example of Adam-style, or Federal, architecture. The Manigaults descended from French Huguenots who came to America to escape persecution in Europe. Joseph owned plantations, sat in the state legislature, and was a trustee of the College of Charleston. Gabriel, who owned plantations and commercial investments, is credited with designing Charleston’s City Hall and the South Carolina Society Hall.

Exhibitions feature objects from our extensive cultural, historic and natural history collections and introduce you to the rich heritage of the Lowcountry, whose social and architectural legacy is reflected in our two premier historic houses. Whether you have an interest in early Southern furniture or in Southeastern birds, The Charleston Museum has something for everyone in your family.

Although Parking is not available at the Gibbes Museum, there is on-street parking throughout downtown as well as two parking garages in close proximity. There is a parking deck on Cumberland Street and another on Queen Street. Both garages are about a block from the Gibbes Museum.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Carolina Art Association (the Gibbes Museum of Art) is to offer through collection, exhibition and interpretation a thorough knowledge of the visual culture of Charleston, the Lowcountry and the American South from the colonial era through today.

Website funding provided by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation and the Women’s Council of the Carolina Art Association.

Exerpt from NPS.gov:

Overall governance of the Patriots Point Development Authority is vested in a Board of Directors appointed by the Governor of South Carolina with each member serving a term of four years. Selection of three members of the Board, including its chairman, is at the discretion of the governor. The two remaining appointed members are legislatively mandated, one to be appointed by joint recommendation of the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Speaker of the House and the other by joint recommendation of the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. The Mayor of the Town of Mount Pleasant, as an ex-officio member, rounds out the Board as its sixth voting member. This Board meets regularly to approve strategic planning initiatives, revisions to development plans and contracts, long-term leases, etc.

The executive director, reporting to the Board of Directors and working closely with its chairman, is responsible for long-term planning and day-to-day management of the agency, including the museum and all of its ancillary services.

A successful businessman, rice planter, distinguished politician and governor of South Carolina, William Aiken, Jr. was one of the state’s wealthiest citizens. Following a well-established tradition among Charleston’s elite, Governor Aiken and his wife, Harriet Lowndes Aiken, traveled in Europe and returned with magnificent fine art and furnishings. Today, visitors will find many of these objects in the same rooms for which they were purchased.

The Aiken-Rhett House remained in the family until 1975 and has been owned by Historic Charleston Foundation since 1995. The foundation has adopted a conservation approach to the interpretation of this important house and its outbuildings.

The mission of the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry is to spark the love of learning in all children of the tri-county area. Through hands-on, interactive experiences with the arts, sciences and humanities, children will develop creative thinking and problem solving skills and a belief in their own potential.

Excerpt (and photo) from NPS.gov:

The first fort on Sullivan’s Island was still incomplete when Commodore Sir Peter Parker and nine warships attacked it on June 28, 1776. After a nine-hour battle, the ships were forced to retire. Charleston was saved from British occupation, and the fort was named in honor of its commander, Colonel. William Moultrie. In 1780 the British finally captured Charleston, abandoning it only on the advent of peace.

After the Revolution, Fort Moultrie was neglected, and by 1791 little of it remained. Then, in 1793, war broke out between England and France. The next year Congress, seeking to safeguard American shores, authorized the first system of nationwide coastal fortifications. A second Fort Moultrie, one of 20 new forts along the Atlantic coast, was completed in 1798. It too suffered from neglect and was finally destroyed by a hurricane in 1804. By 1807 many of the other First System fortifications were in need of extensive repair. Congress responded by authorizing funds for a Second System, which included a third Fort Moultrie. By 1809 a new brick fort stood on Sullivan’s Island.

Between 1809 and 1860 Fort Moultrie changed little. The parapet was altered and the armament modernized, but the big improvement in Charleston’s defenses during this period was the construction of Fort Sumter at the entrance of the harbor. The forts ringing Charleston Harbor – Moultrie, Sumter, Johnson, and Castle Pinckney – were meant to complement each other, but ironically received their baptism of fire as opponents. In December 1860 South Carolina seceded from the Union, and the Federal garrison abandoned Fort Moultrie for the stronger Sumter. Three and a half months later, Confederate troops shelled Sumter into submission, plunging the nation into civil war. In April 1863, Federal iron-clads and shore batteries began a 20-month bombardment of Sumter and Moultrie, yet Charleston’s defenses held. When the Confederate army evacuated the city in February 1865, Fort Sumter was little more than a pile of rubble and Fort Moultrie lay hidden under the band of sand that protected its walls from Federal shells. The new rifled cannon used during the Civil War had demolished the brick-walled fortifications.

Fort Moultrie was modernized in the 1870s, employing concepts developed during the war. Huge new cannon were installed, and magazines and bombproofs were built of thick concrete, then buried under tons of earth to absorb the explosion of heavy shells. In 1885, President Grover Cleveland appointed Secretary of War William C. Endicott to head a board to review the coastal defenses in light of newly developing weapons technology. The system that emerged, named for Endicott, again modernized the nation’s fortifications. New batteries of concrete and steel were constructed in Fort Moultrie. Larger weapons were emplaced elsewhere on Sullivan’s Island, and the old fort became just a small part of the Fort Moultrie Military Reservation that covered much of the island.

As technology changed, harbor defense became more complex. The world wars brought new threats of submarine and aerial attack and required new means of defense at Moultrie. Yet these armaments also became obsolete as nuclear weapons and guided missiles altered the entire concept of national defense.

Today Fort Moultrie has been restored to portray the major periods of its history. A visitor to the fort moves steadily backwards in time from the World War II Harbor Entrance Control Post to the site of the Palmetto-log fort of 1776.

Click Here to see more photos and a colorful story concering the “Full” Fort Moultrie experience, including incredible harbor views.

The past is brought to life with photographs from the Archives highlighting the exhibits. Memorabilia from special events, biographical sketches of the presidents of the college, as well as cadet uniforms and arms are displayed. Through a self guided tour, the visitor experiences the essence of each era in The Citadel’s history.

A handsome display of Citadel rings from 1895 to the present is a focal point in the foyer of the Museum. Citadel men who lost their lives in wars since World War II are memorialized in photograph albums also in the Museum’s foyer.

Museum Tours
Although the museum is designed to be self-guided, group tours can be arranged by making an appointment in advance of the visit. Group size must be under 30 people for a guided tour, due to the size of the exhibit area.

Hours and Access
Please note: The hours and entrances are separate.

The Archives Hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Archives is accessible through the front entrance of the Daniel Library Building and an elevator is available to the third floor.

The Museum Hours are Sunday-Friday 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Museum Entrance is on the South side of the Daniel Library building, opposite the Guard House at the main gates of the college. An elevator is available to the third floor.

Handicapped access is on the North side of the building.

The Archives and Museum is closed for college, religious and national holidays.

Staff
Jane Yates     Director, Archives & Museum

Located in Aquarium Wharf adjacent to the debarkation point for tours to historic Fort Sumter, the Museum is filled with authentic artifacts from 14 American conflicts from the Revolutionary War through the recent war in Iraq.

Visitors marvel at 70 display cases filled with 260 uniforms, 33 flags, medals and hundreds of military artifacts from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.. Among the highlights you’ll see when you visit:

• Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s original star rank insignia.
• An 1820 bell crown shako (infantry hat) – - one of only three known to exist.
• An 1872 Afro-American 9th Cavalry dress blue uniform from the famed Buffalo Soldiers. It is thought to be the only one in the country.
• A display of Gen. George Patton’s deceptive 19th Army patch and 16 phantom Division patches designed to cover the Normandy invasion.
• Several one-of-a-kind Air Force band uniforms designed by Cecil B. DeMille and rejected by the Air Force.
• German, female military and other uniforms.

You’ll also find a memorial chapel, 400 different pieces of military headgear, 600 military miniature and toy soldiers and more.

Located in Downtown Charleston near High Battery, the house is furnished with period antiques and works of art that evoke the gracious lifestyle of the city’s merchant elite.

Today the Nathaniel Russell House interprets the lives of the Russell family, as well as the African American slaves and artisans who were responsible for maintaining one of the South’s grandest antebellum townhouses.

HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday – Saturday : 10 a.m. – 5 p.m
Sunday : 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Last tour begins at 4:30 p.m.

Charleston Fine Arts is Charleston’s premier center for the fine arts and antiques. It is a veritable museum, filled with marbles, bronzes, paintings, clocks, ceramics, mirrors, and other decorative pieces. Charleston Fine Arts is located in the center of one of the United States oldest, most historic, and beautiful cities.

Charleston Fine Arts was founded in 2001 by Frederic S. Le Clercq, professor of law emeritus at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Professor Le Clercq is a lifelong passionate collector of fine art and antiques.

Also, the history of the CSS David, a semi-submersible torpedo boat, is displayed. The David was constructed during the Civil War on the park grounds when the area was known as Stony Landing.  The Confederate torpedo-ram David made history on the night of October 5th, 1863 when it made the first ever torpedo attack on the Union sub the New Ironsides. A replica of the CSS David is located at the Berkeley Museum

The Berkeley Museum hosts an Annual Antique Tractor and Engine Show yearly around September.  

The Museum is located on Stony Landing Road in Moncks Corner, adjacent to the Old Santee Canal Park.  The park admission includes your visit to the Berkeley Museum. Groups of ten or more should call ahead for reservations.  The park and the museum are open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm  and on Sunday from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

Explore the history and artifacts unique to Edisto Island, South Carolina, a special place with a fascinating story to share. For well over 300 years, people have come to Edisto Island. . .

• Native Americans tilled the fertile soil and harvested the bounty of seafood from the creeks, rivers, and ocean.
• Spanish priests established a mission on St. Pierre’s Creek.
• Spanish pirates raided the Island, sailing up the North Edisto River to burn and pillage.
• Early English settlers came here not for religious or political freedom, but to make their fortunes in agriculture. They tried rice, grew indigo, and finally struck it rich with Sea Island cotton.
• Africans came in chains and became a majority on Edisto. Their skills and labor created great material wealth for the planters, while their culture thrived even in adversity.
• Henry Moore, a New Hampshire photographer, followed Federal troops to Edisto during the Civil War. He took pictures of the soldiers to send home to loved ones.
• Mary Ames, a well-off young woman from Springfield, Massachusetts, also came during the Civil War. Her motive was not profit, but education, and she and her friend Emily Bliss opened a school on the Island to educate the children of the newly freed slaves.
• James Jamerson, a young boy on the Island in 1940s and 50s, made an upright bass out of a stick and rubber band, placed it in an anthill, and “made those ants dance.” Later in life he was the bass player for the Funk Brothers (Motown Records’ studio band) and he made a generation dance with the driving bass beat of songs such as “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.”

Many who came to Edisto Island left behind a part of themselves, whether it was pottery shards, a guano spreader, sweetgrass baskets, photographs, a diary, fine porcelain and silver, furniture, a rusty hoe, or (in the case of one unfortunate turtle) a carapace. All of these objects have a story to tell. From its opening in 1990,

The Edisto Island Museum
has preserved the objects of Edisto Island and interpreted them to illustrate the history and natural history of the Island.  Future plans for the Museum include the construction of an expansion of our current building that will result in a “new” Edisto Museum, with all-new exhibits and immersive environments.
Come see us! The Edisto Island Museum is located in the center of Edisto Island, just off scenic Highway 174, far from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. We are open Tuesday-Saturday from 1:00-4:00. Admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and $2.00 for students. Children 10 and under and members are admitted free.

The Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society
(EIHPS), which operates the Edisto Island Museum, serves as an advocate for historic preservation on Edisto Island, working in concert with other organizations and homeowners to preserve Edisto’s unique culture and the natural and built environment.

     Come discover our natural history, the earliest settlers, Dorchester County’s first churches and Summerville’s fine architecture. View the old movie of Summerville, see a model of the train depot that was an important part of the foundation of the community.

     Permanent exhibits on Native Americans who lived along the Ashley River, the impact of the Golden Age of Summerville, early pharmacies and plantation life are interpreted through artifacts and photographs.

     Special temporary exhibits are added to the Museum’s collection throughout the year. These exhibits are on display and offer a wide variety of new subjects for the public’s consideration.

Fortunately, the Patriots Point Membership Program grows stronger everyday and, of course, you are the muscle behind this development. While every member is important to us, it’s especially gratifying to see an increasing number of parents and grandparents embracing the Family Membership plan. More and more grandparents are bringing their grandchildren to historic landmarks such as Patriots Point. It’s their way of making sure grandchildren learn first hand the lessons of heroism, patriotism and character. Not to be overlooked are the legions of mothers and fathers who use the Patriots Point experience to help their children understand what “granddad and grandma” did as part of America’s Greatest Generation.

The Patriots Point Foundation has been pivotal in taking on the challenging task of fundraising. We invite you to visit the Planned Giving section of the website to see how you can help ensure the museum endures and grows stronger while meeting the challenge of preserving history for future generations of Americans.

A crowd of more than 100 cheering spectators and American LaFrance buffs, eager to be part of this historical event, welcomed the convoy of trucks. The beautiful collection of antique apparatus, including an 1858 Button and Blake hand pumper, is one of the main exhibits in the museum. The museum also includes fascinating hands-on safety displays for children that promise to be both educational and entertaining. The museum hopes to reach elementary school students throughout the state of South Carolina, serving as a site for annual field trips as well as becoming a nationally recognized fire education center and museum to children of all ages.

One of the many antique fire trucks in the museum.

The Citadel Museum represents the history of The Military College of South Carolina from its founding in 1842 to the present. Arranged chronologically, the permanent exhibits feature the military, academic, athletic and social aspects of cadet life.

The past is brought to life with photographs from the Archives highlighting the exhibits. Memorabilia from special events, biographical sketches of the presidents of the college, as well as cadet uniforms and arms are displayed. Through a self guided tour, the visitor experiences the essence of each era in The Citadel’s history.

A handsome display of Citadel rings from 1895 to the present is a focal point in the foyer of the Museum. Citadel men who lost their lives in wars since World War II are memorialized in photograph albums also in the Museum’s foyer.

Although the museum is designed to be self-guided, group tours can be arranged by making an appointment in advance of the visit. Group size must be under 30 people for a guided tour, due to the size of the exhibit area.

There are over three hundred collections in the Archives which pertain to the history of The Citadel or have military significance. The time span of the collections is from 1842 to the present. Holdings include personal papers, letters, diaries, reports, minutes, speeches, Citadel publications. Visual images include photographs, postcards, engravings, films and videotapes.

Collections include the military papers and photographs of the notable World War II General Mark W. Clark; the letters of the Confederate General Ellison Capers, an 1857 graduate of The Citadel; nineteenth and twentieth century cadet diaries and speeches. .

On the night of February 17, 1864, the H.L. Hunley embarked on a dangerous mission that would forever mark her place in history. 

Eight men, led by Lt. George Dixon, entered an experimental vessel that was to become the first successful submarine in world history, with a mission to sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic.  That night, the Hunley rammed her spar torpedo into the hull of the Housatonic.  She then surfaced long enough for her crew to signal their comrades on the shore of Sullivan’s Island with a blue magnesium light,(or lantern) indicating a successful mission. The shore crew stoked their signal fires and anxiously awaited the Hunley’s safe return. But minutes after her historic achievement, the Hunley and all hands onboard vanished into the sea without a trace.  

That night history was made.  At the same moment, a mystery was born. The Hunley became the first submarine ever to sink an enemy ship, a feat as important as the first airplane flown by the Wright brothers.  But why had she suddenly disappeared?  What caused her to sink?  And would she ever be found?

Today, well over a century after Lt. Dixon and his courageous crew vanished, the South Carolina Hunley Commission and a private, non-profit group called the Friends of the Hunley are solving the mystery of the Hunley like a puzzle that reveals new information one piece at a time.  They are engaged in the single most important underwater archaeological expedition of the century.

The Hunley Commission was created by the State of South Carolina to acquire, recover, and preserve the H.L. Hunley submarine for public display.  The Commission is made up of nine members, three of whom are appointed by the Governor, three of whom are appointed by the speaker of the House, and three of whom are appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. The Hunley Commission has entered into a Programmatic Agreement with the U.S. Naval Historical Center, the primary trustee of the H.L. Hunley for the federal government, to conserve and ultimately display the H.L. Hunley submarine as well as bury the remains of the brave crew.

The Hunley Commission has created the Friends of the Hunley, Inc. as a 501(c)(3) corporation to aid in raising funds for the recovery, conservation, and ultimate exhibition of this historic vessel.  The Hunley Commission appoints members of the Friends of the Hunley.

Friends of the Hunley is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the H.L. Hunley complete her historic journey home.  The goals of the Friends of the Hunley are: to recover the remains of the brave men who gave their lives and honor them with the proper burial that they earned; to solve the mystery of that first ever submarine attack in 1864; and to conserve one of the greatest, most sought-after artifacts in the history of naval warfare.

To offer effective, unique educational opportunities for the students of South Carolina, focusing on the history, math, science and literature of South Carolina’s water resources and encouraging personal responsibility, contribution to community and stewardship of environment.

Project Benefits

The Spirit of South Carolina provides the following benefits:

• Develop future national/international leaders from a state that has limited representation in politics, business and media
• Bolster education in a state that needs to raise performance and ratings
• Act as a roaming ambassador of the state benefiting economic development
• Improve awareness of South Carolina maritime history
• Increase environmental awareness and vital scientific research of our oceans and coastal communities
• Heighten port awareness which will increase commerce

The three core elements that the ship reflects and aims to achieve:

Education
The Spirit of South Carolina tall ship provides sailing opportunities for young people to experience the sea while participating in a variety of educational and youth development programs. The structure of the sail training experience encourages the building of character, the taking of responsibility and the development of leadership skills while learning to work with others as a student crew member. In addition to learning practical seafaring skills it is expected that all sailors will bring back from their adventure a new understanding of responsibility, teamwork and leadership.

Ambassador
More than just a platform for sail training, the Spirit of South Carolina is a symbol that pays tribute to the resourcefulness and vibrancy of South Carolinians, and in particular, the potential of the state’s younger citizens. She is a beautiful, fast, world-class schooner, which everyone in South Carolina can be proud to have as a representative in port cities around the world. Wherever she sails, the Spirit and her crew serve as South Carolina’s goodwill ambassadors.

Attraction
The beautiful sight of a classic wooden sailing ship on Charleston’s waterfront is an attraction to the residents and visitors of South Carolina.  Servicing students from across the Palmetto state, the Spirit of South Carolina adds a nautical treasure to the state’s already popular attractions, in addition to providing an enormous community resource to children and families of the state.

Charleston is the embodiment of all that is Southern—an amalgam of Southern tradition, culture, and art. In the heart of the city’s historic district, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery serves as home to each of these by offering Southern masterworks of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to discerning collectors.

For over thirty-five years, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery has been hailed as the nation’s foremost dealer in fine art of the American South. Our art tells the story—the story of Southern, in pictures..

Instead of being restored to the vision of those who lived centuries after it was built, Drayton Hall is an artifact that has survived the American Revolution, the Civil War, the earthquake of 1886, hurricanes like Hugo, and maybe most surprisingly today, urban sprawl.

On top of that, it’s not just that it’s a survivor. The main house is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in the United States. The grounds represent one of the most significant, undisturbed historic landscapes in America. And Drayton Hall’s stories—stories of race, family, culture, sacrifice, innovation, and preservation—reveal who we are and where we’ve come from.

The Powder Magazine is a visible reminder of the era of the Lord Proprietors and their founding of the government of the Carolinas, and of the fortifications which protected the city and made Charleston one of the three fortified cities on the eastern seaboard of British Colonial America.

In the mid 1990s, having assumed the responsibility for the operation of The Powder Magazine under a lease agreement, Historic Charleston Foundation factually and faithfully restored the building to its 18th Century appearance. Since the return of The Powder Magazine to The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of South Carolina in 2003, more repairs have been completed and the museum is now available to the public.

Between 1700 and 1800, at the height of the Atlantic Slave trade, 40% of Africans who were forcibly shipped to mainland North America, came to the shores of Charleston, South Carolina. The unparalleled impact of the skill, talent and leadership of enslaved and free blacks, have produced an unprecedented history in Gullah and Sea Island culture, slavery, civil war and reconstruction, civil and women’s rights, education, business, and the arts. It is Avery’s mission to preserve this legacy.

The Center maintains an archive of primary and secondary source material of nearly 4,000 holdings that encourage scholarship, research, and presentations by scholars, researchers, and students. The Center also operates as a small museum, a national historic site with a listing on the National Register of Historic Sites, and a cultural center. Avery’s mission is intended for a diverse array of constituencies.

Through its research facilities, museum exhibits, tours of its historic site, and cultural center, Avery tells the story of African Americans from their origins in Africa through slavery, emancipation, segregation, migration, the civil rights movement, and the ongoing struggle for social and political equality. We sponsor conferences, lectures, film festivals, and exhibits about African and African American history and culture that attract local, regional and national audiences. Avery’s public programs convey the importance of collecting and preserving the records and documents of not only public figures, but also ordinary people whose stories reveal the “grassroots” experience of everyday lowcountry life. Avery’s regional focus distinguishes it from other archives in South Carolina and the nation and it is the only collection of its kind in the country.

Historic Charleston Foundation was founded in 1947 to preserve and protect the integrity of Charleston’s architectural, historical and cultural heritage. The Foundation seeks to achieve this through active advocacy, participation in community planning, innovative educational and volunteer programs, the preservation of properties, research, and technical and financial assistance programs.

The American Military Museum in Charleston, S.C., offers a one-of-a-kind experience in military history for travelers and residents.

Located in Aquarium Wharf adjacent to the debarkation point for tours to historic Fort Sumter, the Museum is filled with authentic artifacts from 14 American conflicts from the Revolutionary War through the recent war in Iraq.

Visitors marvel at 70 display cases filled with 260 uniforms, 33 flags, medals and hundreds of military artifacts from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.. Among the highlights you’ll see when you visit:

• Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s original star rank insignia.
• An 1820 bell crown shako (infantry hat) – - one of only three known to exist.
• An 1872 Afro-American 9th Cavalry dress blue uniform from the famed Buffalo Soldiers. It is thought to be the only one in the country.
• A display of Gen. George Patton’s deceptive 19th Army patch and 16 phantom Division patches designed to cover the Normandy invasion.
• Several one-of-a-kind Air Force band uniforms designed by Cecil B. DeMille and rejected by the Air Force.
• German, female military and other uniforms.

The Karpeles Library is the world’s largest private holding of important original  manuscripts & documents.The archives include Literature, Science, Religion,History and Art. Among the treasures are …. “The original draft of the Bill of Rights of the United States”, The original manuscript of ” The Wedding March”, Einstein’s description of his ” Theory of Relativity”, The ” Thanksgiving Proclamation” signed by George Washington, Roget’s ” Thesaurus”, Webster’s ” Dictionary” and over one million more.

You now have the opportunity to be among the first visitors to submit your writing or business profile for featured placement, or to replace an existing profile, or to review existing business profiles to establish their ranking! To post your profile or writing, simply click Submit Here and fill in the blanks once you get there. It’s that easy! To review an existing profile, simply scroll to the bottom of that page and you’ll be able to click up to five stars! While registering as a user is not required for you to make your submission or write reviews, it will give you greater privileges, and it’s absolutely free, so we encourage you to register soon. For security reasons, we cannot give instant publishing or other site priveleges unless we can contact you and verify who you are, so you can trust registration is purely for the integrity and protection of the family-friendly content of GreaterCharleston.com, and nothing more. Registered users also have instant review/rating priveleges that automatically insert your screen name, so it can also make for a more enjoyable business reviewing effort. The Register link is on the right side of every page, or you can click here to register now. Likewise, you’ll want to register at the Gallery and at GreaterCharleston.tv for similar reasons. You can use the same username and password, or create new ones for each registration, but for security reasons we keep the databases separate so you will need to register for each that you intend to use for submissions. Once we know who you are, we give you increasing freedom and power to move around, and will eventually offer you contributing editor status, which is loaded with even more power and privileges… both in the site and around town! If you have any questions, feel free to email us at Submissions@GreaterCharleston.com anytime.

While we have our own team of writers and multi-media production folks who will be publishing articles, stories, and gallery albums in magazine format, we are also a publicly-driven publishing site. You may have heard the terms Wiki, open-source, and Web 2.0… well all of those aptly describe the organic strengths of this site. But few terms better describe GreaterCharleston.com than “totally free,” always and forever, with no limits to your publishing opportunities. Surf the menu again… we’re sure you’ll see categories where you’d like to be found.

Even now, all of your submissions will be searchable on Google, Yahoo, and all the other major search engines, and you’ll be able to start inviting your friends, your fans, and/or your clients to join others who will be commenting and/or reviewing your submissions. We will publish all business profiles, both those submitted by the public and those produced by our own staff, so if you represent a business be sure you submit as soon as possible so that your competition doesn’t gain all the early traffic. Cheers!