Or at least, “as usual” back before June 3, when we had to close the doors to general admission for several months. That was to do some important work that had been planned for years, such as properly securing and protecting the more than 7,300 irreplaceable historical artifacts that the museum houses. There was also a construction project in front of our entrance that prevented easy entrance.
That work isn’t entirely complete, but it has reached a stage at which we can open up most areas normally open to the public, such as the main museum gallery, the gift shop, and the major new exhibit in the cistern gallery – “A War With No Front Lines: South Carolina and the Vietnam War, 1965-1973.”
We’ve also got several special events coming up, some of them before Dec. 6:
Saturday, Nov. 9 – Once again, we will host the South Carolina Military Miniature Society’s 33rd Annual Toy Soldier Show, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will be in the Congaree Room, above the museum’s main galleries. The event involves a lot more than toy soldiers. You will see figures and dioramas featuring farms, zoos, villages, cowboys, native Americans, parks, and figures from around the world, plus living history re-enactors and a lot of vendors selling all sorts of related items. The museum will remain closed during this event.
Monday, Nov. 11 – This one will be at the main location of Richland Library, on Assembly Street. Fritz Hamer, our former curator of history, will deliver a free lecture at 1 p.m. in the library’s Theater about the Battle of Ia Drang. Come learn about the first major battle between the U.S. Army and North Vietnamese regulars, which occurred Nov. 14-18. That’s the fight that was the subject of the movie, “We Were Soldiers.” Remember, this is at 1 p.m., an hour later than the usual time for our Noon Debrief programs.
Saturday, Dec. 7 – This one will occur in the atrium of the museum itself. On the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we will present “Christmas in the Trenches,” which will feature living history re-enactors depicting the experiences of South Carolinians and other Americans who spent their holidays on war fronts from the Revolution until modern days. It will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission will be free, in celebration of the re-opening!
Of course, we have had a number of public events over the last several months, such as multiple Noon Debrief presentations at Richland Library. The Relic Room deeply appreciates the library’s hospitality and hopes to take advantage of it in the future as well.
In the meantime, come on out and learn more about our state’s rich military heritage.
Here’s what our atrium looked like during the work in recent months.
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.
John Adams was, at the time, certain that July 2 – the day the Second Continental Congress officially voted to sever ties with Great Britain – would always be celebrated by Americans as our Independence Day.
