Behind the Scenes: the Stacks
This is where original historical documents from the State of South Carolina are stored. Some are more than 300 years old. The stacks at the Archives & History Center are three large climate-controlled rooms. To protect the documents and extend their life spans, the temperature is kept at 60 degrees and 40 percent relative humidity. It’s literally cold storage for the documents! Only authorized staff members are permitted to go into the stacks, however guided tours can be arranged.
The state’s archive of historical documents contains public records (records of state, county and local governments) tracing more than 325 years of Palmetto State history, including:
– the earliest record: a 1671 ledger of the colonial secretary
– royal land grants by the king of England to the colony’s early
settlers
– South Carolina’s original copy of the United States Bill of
Rights
– the original Ordinance of Secession
– Confederate service records of South Carolina soldiers
– all of South Carolina’s original constitutions
– historic maps tracing the evolution of cities, towns,
transportation and commerce
– historic architectural drawings of some of the state’s oldest
and most important public buildings
– the original Clarendon County petition which led to the
desegregation of public schools nationwide
– records valuable for genealogists – those tracing family
histories
– records of South Carolina governors through the Hodges
administration
– and much more…
