Charleston Museum facts for kids
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| Established | January 12, 1773 |
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| Location | 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
The Charleston Museum is a super cool museum in Charleston, South Carolina. It's the oldest museum in the whole United States! Inside, you can explore amazing old objects, learn about nature, see beautiful art, and even visit two historic houses.
A Look Back in Time
The Charleston Museum started way back on January 12, 1773. That makes it the oldest museum in the United States! It first opened its doors to visitors in 1824.
In 1920, a woman named Laura Bragg became the museum's director. She was the first woman to lead a public art museum in America!
The museum's current building was finished in 1980. You can find it at 360 Meeting Street in Charleston, South Carolina.
The museum has worked to return the remains of Native American ancestors to their tribes. This process began even before a law called the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was passed in 1990. The museum is still working with tribes to return other ancestral remains.
What You Can See
The Charleston Museum has many interesting things to explore. You can learn about local history and natural history. There are also beautiful decorative arts, like shiny silver pieces.
The museum is also home to a very special fossil. It's the only known fossil of the extinct Pelagornis sandersi. This bird might have been the largest flying bird ever discovered! Imagine a bird with a wingspan bigger than a small car!
The museum also takes care of two historic house museums that you can visit:
- Heyward-Washington House: This house is from the late 1700s. It was owned by Thomas Heyward, Jr., who was a Founding Father. He signed the Declaration of Independence. President George Washington even stayed here in 1792!
- Joseph Manigault House: This home shows what life was like in the early 1800s. It's decorated with furniture from America, England, and France.
The museum also looks after The Dill Sanctuary. This special place is on James Island. It protects different habitats for wildlife. It also has old historical sites, including Civil War batteries. The sanctuary is used for museum programs and research. It even has a pond for animals and birds.
Amazing Collections
The museum has many different collections, including:
- Charleston furniture
- Charleston silver
- Textiles from the Lowcountry, like costumes and quilts
- Ceramics made in South Carolina
- Ancient Egyptian artifacts
- Historical documents and photographs
- Information about birds in South Carolina
- Old firearms from the 1800s
- Fossils of animals without backbones and animals with backbones
- Recreated skeletons of different animals
- Rocks and minerals from all over the world
- Many plant and animal species collected by local nature experts.
