Collections

ACHM Collections

Collection
Online Collections

The Museum’s primary responsibility is its collection. Acquisition, preservation, conservation, and interpretation of the collection are the responsibilities of ACHM’s professional staff. ACHM collects and cares for objects, art, artifacts, manuscripts, letters, photographs, documents, and other reference sources to the best of its ability with the available resources and with proper stewardship as a guiding principle.

ACHM also considers the structure of Banksia, the William Gregg Buttery, the Ergle Log Cabin, and the County Schoolhouse to be essential components of the collection and strives to care for them in order to preserve their historic integrity.

Archaeological & Pre-Historical Material Culture

The archaeological and pre-historical collection consists of ceramics, projectile points, and other such tools from the Native American period in the Aiken County era.

Archival Material

The Museum’s Archives are compiled of books and other published works, documents, maps, and blueprints. Additionally, personal letters and diaries help to piece together the lesser known and more intimate history of Aiken County.

Historic Structures

The Museum is housed in Banksia, a Winter Colony home, and it is our largest collections object! Other historic structures include the William Gregg Buttery, the Ergle Log Cabin, the China Springs Schoolhouse, and the Transit of Venus observatory.

Historic Material Culture / Objects

The Museum is home to an ever-growing collection of objects relating to the history of Aiken County. From wedding dresses to military uniforms; from agricultural equipment to firetrucks; from household furnishings to a 1950s drugstore, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Natural History

While ACHM’s collections are more focused on the historical material of Aiken County, the collection also includes objects that pertain to the flora and fauna of the area, including materials associated with Hitchcock Woods, kaolin deposits, and The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.

Art

Art plays an important role in telling the full story of Aiken County’s history. The art in our collection ranges from paintings created by local artists to portraits of famous-Aikenites to Edgefield Pottery created by enslaved African Americans.

Photographs & Postcards

The Museum has thousands of photographs and postcards in its collections dating from the 1860s. We have photographs of downtown Aiken, Winter Colony homes, famous families, regional newspaper images, and more.

Research Library at the Aiken County Historical Museum

Listed below are Finding Aids for the five research collections we have available for public research at the museum. These collections feature three book collections (Carolina, Civil War, and Aiken County focused) and two filing cabinets full of research clippings/booklets (Historic Homes of Aiken County and General Research topics from Aiken County). The books, newspaper clippings, and other research documents cannot be loaned or removed from the museum premises. If you would like to view anything listed in the Finding Aids, please send us an email at Museum@aikencountysc.gov to request an appointment.

Online Collections

Follow the link below to view highlights from our collection. From the unique to the everyday, these objects, documents, and images represent a broad range of subjects and events in our County’s history. Please note that the items viewable here are just a small fraction of the Museum’s holdings and that our staff and volunteers are working hard to process and publish more content for everyone to enjoy.

AIKEN WEATHER

The Aiken County Historical Museum, under the direction of the Aiken County Historical Commission, collects, preserves, promotes, interprets, and exhibits the historical objects of Aiken County and its surrounds.

Aiken County Historical Museum, 433 Newberry St SW | Aiken, SC 29801 | 803.642.2015