Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, SC
Museums

Journey through 12,000 years at the Berkeley Museum. From the Cherokee Path, to the nation's first true canal, Berkeley County has long been a crossroads in American history. We invite you to explore this diverse and fascinating past at the Berkely Museum.

Discover prehistoric artifacts dating from the Ice Age. Simple, elegant, yet functional, these tools were meticulously crafted from wood, stone, animal hide, and other natural materials. The collection at the Berkeley Museum offers insight into a way of life distant and alien to our modern day society.

See a signal cannon, musket balls, and a gentleman's silk vest from the Revolutionary War; a rice-farmer basket and slave cemetery marker from an antebellum plantation; and a train diorama and video showcasing the early timber industry in Berkeley County's Francis Marion National Forest.

Ride with the "Swamp Fox" and witness the birth of a new nation. By virtue of its location, Berkely County played a strategic role in the Revolutionary War. When the call for independence rang out, Francis Marion, the famed "Swamp Fox", led troops through Berkeley County's maze of bogs and backwoods to ambush the British and help secure America her freedom. The Berkeley Museum brings this era to life once again through stirring accounts and artifacts.

Stroll the grounds adjacent to the museum and explore the remnants of the Santee Canal. Completed in 1800, the canal is considered an engineering marvel of its time. The manmade waterway ran 22 miles through Berkeley County connecting the Santee and Cooper rivers. Through it flowed plantation crops such as rice, cotton and other goods to Charleston's markets and points beyond.

Relive Civil War history from the spot where the mechanically powered torpedo boat, the "Little David" was captured during the "War Between the States," visitors can see a replica on the museum grounds. Inside the museum, examine a display of weapons, equipment and uniforms typical of those used by Battery Warren artillery men.

Kindle a Flame weave, a basket, twist a dart, or make a drum at one of the Berkely Museum's regularly scheduled "Living History Workshops." The workshop series takes the ordinary museum experience one step further through a hands-on learning opportunity. Participants create tools and crafts like those fashioned hundreds and even thousands of years ago. In doing so, they acquire a better understanding of our past, and gain insight into our present.

Enjoy browsing in the museum gift shop. You'll find books, museum-quality reproductions and jewelry, and fine art prints! Be sure to check out the temporary exhibit gallery featuring the works of local artists and craftsmen. After your trip through the museum, take an invigorating hike on the boardwalk at the Old Santee Canal State Park.