Exhibits
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Permanent
In our main gallery, visitors move through a seamless narrative of South Carolina’s military past, arranged chronologically from the Revolution to today.
Among the hundreds of artifacts on display are:
- Weapons and uniforms
- Battlefield equipment
- Medals, flags, and personal effects
- Letters and objects from the home front.
Some pieces surprise visitors — like the museum’s oldest artifact, a 400-year-old Japanese katana brought home from Iwo Jima by Sgt. Nealy A. Sweat, a member of the 147th Infantry Regiment who served 21 months in the South Pacific Theatre during World War II.
These objects make history tangible. Personal. Immediate.
Housed in what was once the water cistern of the Columbia Mills Building — the world’s first fully electric textile plant — this dramatic space now features a comprehensive exhibition on South Carolinians who served in Vietnam.
A War With No Front Lines: South Carolina and the Vietnam War, 1965–1973 honors the experiences of a generation whose stories were not always fully heard.
And in a powerful echo of the museum’s earliest days, today’s veterans walk these galleries with their families, sharing their own firsthand stories of service.
From colonial battlefields to modern deployments, the exhibits tell a continuous story of duty, sacrifice, innovation, and resilience.
Here, history isn’t distant. It’s personal.
The Twilight of Revolutionaries and the Dawn of Photography is a traveling exhibit featuring 15 rare daguerreotypes of Revolutionary War veterans. Each portrait is a high-quality scan of the original daguerreotype. Accompanying each portrait is a label detailing the service of the veteran. The service details for most veterans come from their applications for government assistance through the Pension Act of 1832.
This collection is the fruition of a 30-year project begun by W.C. Smith III who meticulously collected each photograph. Few images of Revolutionary veterans remain at all, and this is one of the largest, if not the largest, extant collections of such images.
After an initial display in the Gist Gallery at the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum, this exhibit will travel to other interested public institutions. The SC250th Grant supporting this project requires
NEW Upcoming Exhibit
What Sherman dumped into the Congaree.
When Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman took Columbia in February 1865, he captured a lot of stored Confederate munitions. Not wanting them to be used against his army as it marched farther north, he had his men dump them all into the Congaree River, near what would later be the Gervais Street Bridge.
It would take 150 years before anyone tackled the tricky task of cleaning up the mess on the river’s bottom. Soon some, of those munitions found in that cleanup will find a home nearby in the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.
That collection of about 300 Civil War artifacts will include cannonballs, small arms, a saber, a wagon wheel and other items. They will go on display in the Gist Gallery starting in March 2027, and stay until May 2028.
Become a Member
Our membership program is not only a critical part of the museum’s ongoing growth, it’s a great way to save money on your visits, and it’s fun! Become a member today and show your support for the legacy of all South Carolinians who have fearlessly served our state and our country for centuries.
News
View AllThursday, Jul 16, 2026
SC250: Relic Room Shares History in State Library Display
In honor of America’s 250th, the SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum has partnered with the South Carolina State Library to exhibit the Battle of Fort Sullivan.
Events
View AllBlue Star Museums Free Admission to Military Families
Read Full ArticleThe Stories Behind the Artifacts
Every artifact has its own story. We’ll walk you through the forgotten history of the pieces that live at the SCCRRMM.
