Konstantin Vengerowsky/Clarendon Citizen - Clarendon County Museum and History Center Chairman Jerry Robertson and Bank of Clarendon President/Chief Credit Officer Barry Ham sign the $1 lease agreement between the bank and the museum. Back row: Main Street Manning Executive Director Carrie Trebil, BOC Community Development Coordinator Kim Johnson, BOC Senior Vice President Ron Wall, Museum and History Center Committee Member Ann Alderman, Main Street Manning Chairman Marie Land, BOC CEO Bill Buyck, Museum committee members Mary Frances Coker, Anne McFadden-Sauls and Dr. Barbara W. Jenkins, Senator John C. Land III, Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce Past President Badge Baker and committee members George and Carole Summers.
The Clarendon County Museum and History Center renewed its lease with the Bank of Clarendon for three more years on Aug. 15.
Seven years ago, the Clarendon County Historical Society decided to establish a museum that would be beneficial to the residents of Clarendon County. They had the plan but no location.
Bank of Clarendon heard about their plans and stepped in to help. The bank owns the building at 102 S. Brooks St. in Manning and decided to lease the building to the museum for $1 a year, renewing the agreement every three years. The museum opened in November 2010.
“We think that the history of the county needs to be preserved, and the next generation of our citizens need to know about it,” said Bill Buyck, board chairman/chief executive officer of the Bank of Clarendon. “The bank is delighted to be a part of this effort.”
The museum has seen 1,065 people through its doors since opening nearly two years ago. About 125 of those people were from out-of-state.
“This has been a perfect location for us in terms of being downtown and near other historical buildings,” said Jerry Robertson, Clarendon County Museum and History Center Chairman. “We are thankful to the Bank of Clarendon for graciously providing this building to the museum for everyone to enjoy.”
The museum includes four rooms and various exhibits relative to Clarendon County. The exhibits include the history of the Native Americans in the area and various artifacts, Santee Cooper Lakes, forestry industry, farming, agriculture and timber industry, a display of Miss America 1957 Marian McKnight, the Gen. Francis Marion “Swamp Fox” collection, World War II exhibit, Richardson Family and Historic Richardson Cemetery exhibit, Briggs v. Elliott heritage and a 1935 model kitchen. The museum also includes a special room with an Alcolu exhibit. In the future, that room will feature histories of various towns and communities throughout the county. The next town to be featured will be Summerton sometime in early fall.
The museum’s hours of operation are Thursday and Friday from 1-4 p.m. and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, contact the museum at 433-0328 or Jerry Robertson at 435-8289.
