The Confederate Museum in Charleston, South Carolina

Originally published March 2018 · p. 11

The Confederate Museum sits above the city market at 188 Meeting Street in historic downtown Charleston. In 1894 the Charleston Chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy was founded. They immediately began to collect relics and the collection grew quickly. By 1898 this group of ladies became Charleston Chapter #4, United Daughters of the Confederacy. In 1899 the reunion of the United Confederate Veterans was to be held in Charleston. The men decided to help these ladies form a permanent Confederate Museum in Charleston. A call went out asking former soldiers to bring their war-time possessions to the reunion for donation to the new museum. The enthusiastic response showed that a large building would be needed to house the collection. Since the Mayor and the city councilmen were all former Confederate soldiers, it was only natural that they selected Market Hall for this purpose. The same building where they had gone to become young soldiers became the place they brought their relics to be preserved for the future. The Confederate Museum opened in 1899. The site of this building was originally occupied by the Masonic Hall, which was completely destroyed by fire in 1838. Market Hall was built in 1841. It is a copy of the Temple of the Wingless Victory in Athens, Greece. Money flowed freely in Charleston at that time and materials for the new building were brought in by water from as far away as New York, Connecticut, and Italy. Its original purpose was to be the “head building” or front entrance to six blocks of roofed, open air market space attached to Market Hall. This was a farmer’s market where fruits, meats, vegetables, and fish were sold, but not slaves as is often thought. Two small rooms upstairs in the hall housed the offices used by the market commissioners for day to day operations. The main room was used for meetings, balls, and banquets. When the War Between the States commenced, men actually signed up to fight in the room where the museum is housed today. In 1898, the Confederate Veterans held their reunion in Charleston and decided there should be a new museum dedicated to the War. The base of the collection was the relics donated by the Veterans who also helped to secure the building for use as a museum. The Museum opened in June 1899.

Operated by friendly members of Charleston Chapter #4, United Daughters of the Confederacy, the Confederate Museum houses such relics as the first national Confederate flag to fly over Fort Sumter, a lock of Robert

E. Lee’s hair and the original South Carolina secession flag. The collection boasts over 2,000 artifacts. The museum has seen a rise in visitors from all over the world who support the preservation of history. We welcome you and your family to come experience the unique Southern experience which is the Confederate Museum. Open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. all year, the museum is a must see. For more information visit their website at www.confederatemuseumcharlestonsc.com for more information. Email: [email protected]