The Charleston Museum is a museum located in the Wraggborough neighborhood in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. It is one of the oldest museums in the United States. Its highly regarded collection includes historic artifacts, natural history,

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose object is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. It includes most of the arts making objects for the interiors of buildings, and interior design, but not usual ...

and two historic Charleston houses. It replaces the Old Charleston Museum that burned down due to unknown causes.

History

The Charleston Museum is among the oldest museums in the United States, other museums in this category include the

Peabody Essex Museum The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts, US, is a successor to the East India Marine Society, established in 1799. It combines the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem (which acquired the Society's collection) and the ...

in Salem, Massachusetts and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in Philadelphia. The Charleston Museum was founded in 1773 and opened to the public in 1824. In 1920, when the museum hired

Laura Bragg Laura Mary Bragg (October 9, 1881 – May 16, 1978) was an American museum director who became the first woman to run a publicly funded art museum in America when she was named the director of the Charleston Museum in 1920. She later directed the ...

as its director, she became the first woman to direct a publicly-funded art museum in America.Allen, Louise Anderson. ''A Bluestocking in Charleston: The Life and Career of Laura Bragg''. University of South Carolina Press, 2001. The museum's present building was completed in 1980 at 360 Meeting Street,

. The museum's exhibits include natural history and local history displays and decorative arts, including silver. The museum is also home to the only known fossil of the extinct

Pelagornis sandersi ''Pelagornis sandersi'' is an extinct species of pseudotooth bird, whose fossil remains date from 25 million years ago, during the Chattian age of the Oligocene. The sole specimen of ''P. sandersi'' has a wingspan estimated between , giving i ...

, which is possibly the largest flying bird ever discovered. The museum also owns and operates two

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

s: *

Heyward-Washington House The Heyward-Washington House is a historic house museum at 87 Church Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Built in 1772, it was home to Thomas Heyward, Jr., a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and was where George Washing ...

– late 18th-century house owned by

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

Thomas Heyward, Jr., Revolutionary patriot and signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

. It is best known as the lodging of President George Washington during his 1792 visit to Charleston. *

Joseph Manigault House The Joseph Manigault House is a historic house museum in Charleston, South Carolina that is owned and operated by the Charleston Museum. Built in 1803, it was designed by Gabriel Manigault to be the home of his brother, and is nationally signi ...

– Federal-style home decorated with American, English and French furnishing of the early 19th century In addition to the two houses, the museum also maintains The Dill Sanctuary. From the site: :"... located on James Island contains assorted habitats for wildlife and numerous cultural features including three earthen Confederate batteries and prehistoric, colonial, antebellum, and postbellum archaeological sites. The Dill Sanctuary has been protected for purposes of preservation, wildlife enhancement, research and education, and is used only for Museum-sponsored programs. Habitat has been enhanced by creation of a six-acre wildlife pond, with three nesting islands, which provides a reliable source of fresh water for animals and nesting sites for both migratory and resident birds. 2001 saw the construction of the Dill Education Center and bathroom facilities which hosts Museum education programs."

Collection strengths

* Charleston furniture * Charleston silver * Lowcountry textiles, including costumes, quilts, and needlework * South Carolina ceramics * Egyptian artifacts * Archives - documentary and photographic resources * South Carolina ornithology * Nineteenth-century firearms * Invertebrate and Vertebrate Paleontology Collections * Skeletal Reconstructions of various Vertebrate Groups * Rocks and Minerals from around the World * Numerous Plant and Animal species collected by local Naturalists.

References

External links

Charleston Museum
- official site {{authority control Museums in Charleston, South Carolina History museums in South Carolina Museums established in 1773 Natural history museums in South Carolina 1773 establishments in South Carolina Paleontology in South Carolina