South Carolina 250

08/31/2026

Calling all authors, historians and educators: we want YOU to help us uncover and share the stories of South Carolina’s Revolutionary era✍ 📚

Come across a person you can’t stop wondering about? A story you want to dig deeper into? Ready to go down a historical rabbit hole, chase down a myth or two, and uncover what really happened?

It might be time to write an SC250 publication.

If this sounds like you, it might be time to write an SC250 publication for us! Check out some of the work already on our website, then head over to the Research Grants page (link in bio) to learn more about what type of research for publications we've funded in the past.

08/31/2026

🗓🎉A great event to put on the books for this week, especially for homeschool families looking for a "field trip"!

We will be hosting a Freedom Truck on September 1 and 2, sponsored by the Institute of Museum and Library Services !

📅 September 1-2

⏰ 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

📍 South Carolina State Fairgrounds at 1200 Rosewood Dr, Columbia, SC 29201

The Freedom Truck is a mobile museum featuring exhibits that bring America's history to life. While visiting the Freedom Truck, explore the SC250 Revolutionary South Carolina Discovery Center, created by the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (South Carolina 250). To learn more about the Freedom Truck, visit https://scsl.me/4qgMMQf.

08/29/2026

🚨 GRANT DEADLINE REMINDER!

The first grant deadline for FY26–27 is THIS upcoming Tuesday, September 1

In case you missed it, a lot has changed this year. Our Grants Manager, Heather Hawkins, shared a quick overview of the major updates you’ll want to know before applying.

🎥 Watch Heather’s update, then head to SC250.com/grants/ to review the new grant guidelines, find resources, and get your application ready.

08/27/2026

Mark your calendars for this one!

Discover a lesser-told story of the American Revolution!

on September 25-26 for the Catawba and Cherokee American Revolution Symposium, exploring the important roles Native Americans played in the Revolution and the impact their stories had on South Carolina.

📅 Sept. 25-26
📍 Lancaster & USC Lancaster
💲 Registration: $40 + processing fee

From Catawba and Cherokee history to archaeology, Native trails, and the role of Native women, this two-day symposium offers a unique look at our region's Revolutionary history.

🔗 Learn more and register:
https://www.lancastercountysc.gov/800/Catawba-Cherokee-American-Revolution-Sym

As America celebrates 250 years, come discover the history that happened right here.

**Artwork titled 'Private' by Dale Watson, courtesy of the American Battlefield Trust

08/26/2026

Happy belated Birthday, Ninety Six National Historic Site!

This past weekend, our Chairman Gen. William Grimsley helped honor the park's 50 years since it was designated a historic site under the management of the National Park Service in 1976.

In November of 1776, this British outpost fort was the site of the first land battle in the South during the American Revolution. Five years later, Ninety Six once again found itself at the center of the fight for South Carolina. In the spring of 1781, Patriot Gen. Nathanael Greene’s army of 1,600 men laid siege to the British fort at Ninety Six. He employed traditional siege tactics, such as digging trenches and bombarding the fort with artillery, but he couldn’t compel the British to surrender. As Col. Francis Rawdon’s 2,000-strong British relief column approached, Greene was forced to abandon the siege.

Today, the original Star Fort, battlefield, and other surviving earthworks help preserve the story of a place where two Revolutionary War battles unfolded nearly six years apart.

👉Ready to step into the story? Discover Ninety Six and explore Revolutionary South Carolina at SC250.com.

08/25/2026

A simple sack. Dyed indigo blue.

But the story it holds is anything but simple.

Stories like the one Georgetown County 250 Committee Member, Pelor Jemonia Richards, shares in this video are why you’ll want to make a trip to Williamsburg County September 4–5 for the SC250 Indigo Festival.

The weekend begins Friday evening with Joe McGill, founder of The Slave Dwelling Project, for Conversations & Campfire.

Then Saturday, history comes to life with:

💙 Indigo dyeing
🌾 SC250 Rice Cook-Off
🧺 Artisans & vendors
📜 Living historians
🎶 Live music
🌿 Gullah Geechee heritage

food, family activities and more!

Both events take place at Williams Vineyard & Farm in Nesmith, SC.

🔥 Conversations Around the Campfire
📅 Friday, September 4 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.

💙 SC250 Indigo Festival
📅 Saturday, September 5 | 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

Come for the festival. Leave knowing a few more of the stories that shaped South Carolina.

08/24/2026

The SC250 family is proud to celebrate our Vice Chairman, William S. “Bill” Davies, Jr., who was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor.

Bill’s decades of service to our state and his passion for preserving and sharing South Carolina’s history have made an extraordinary impact. His leadership has been instrumental in SC250’s work to tell the stories of South Carolina’s pivotal role in the American Revolution and ensure they are preserved for generations to come.

We are grateful for Bill’s leadership, friendship and unwavering commitment to South Carolina.

Please join us in congratulating Bill on this tremendous and well-deserved honor. Huzzah!

08/23/2026

There is history everywhere...

Beneath the ground we walk on. Tucked away in our small towns and historic buildings. And kept alive by the people who work to preserve it, protect it, and share it.

Today, as part of our visit to Oconee County for our quarterly SC250 Commission Meeting, we had the opportunity to explore some of the remarkable places where that history still lives:
📍 Hall Cemetery at South Cove County Park
📍 Oconee Station
📍 Oconee County Museum
📍 Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina
📍 Oconee Military Museum at Patriots Hall

Thank you to the many volunteers in Oconee County who made it a beautiful morning of exploration and reflection on the role the Cherokee people played in the story of this region.

And the conversation continues tomorrow! We hope you’ll join us for our quarterly SC250 Commission Meeting at South Cove County Park beginning with lite bites and coffee at 9:30 a.m.

Come connect, learn more about the work happening across the state, and be part of preserving and sharing South Carolina’s Revolutionary story🇺🇸

08/21/2026