Welcome to the State Historic Preservation Office

We’re here to help you learn more about South Carolina’s historic places and how to preserve them.

Check out our Programs, Technical Assistance, Historic Properties Research, and Resources sections to learn more about how our programs and services can help you. 

The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) encourages and facilitates the responsible stewardship of South Carolina's irreplaceable historic and prehistoric places. 

The SHPO was established in 1969 to implement the goals of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which extended federal support to state and local preservation efforts. The SHPO receives support from the federal Historic Preservation Fund, which is funded by offshore oil and gas lease revenues, not taxpayer dollars. The SHPO is a program of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

What's New

2025 Historic Preservation Conference Presentations 

Revised SC Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations

Maintenance of the SC State Historic Preservation Office web pages is funded, in part, by a grant from the National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, administered by the SC State Historic Preservation Office. US Department of the Interior regulations prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of federal assistance, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington DC 20240.