Traveling Exhibit of State’s Founding Documents Coming to Winthrop on April 14 (04/02/26)

HIGHLIGHTS

• The exhibit, called Foundations of a Revolution: South Carolina, 1775-1777, is sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH).
• The exhibit will be featured at the Louise Pettus Archives from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Department staff will give a presentation about the documents at 11:30 a.m.

ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROINA - Winthrop University will host a traveling exhibit on April 14 of some of the most important state documents from the early years of the American Revolution.

The exhibit, called Foundations of a Revolution: South Carolina, 1775-1777, is sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH).

On display will be the 1775 Articles of Association for the District East of the Wateree, the South Carolina Constitution of 1776 and the 1777 Treaty of DeWitt's Corner. These documents are part of the vast collection documenting the history of South Carolina held by the department and are seldom placed on public display.

The exhibit will be featured at the Louise Pettus Archives from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Department staff will give a presentation about the documents at 11:30 a.m.

Pettus Archivist Gina White '83 said Winthrop's archives staff will compile an adjoining exhibit of documents and other materials from its holdings pertaining to Colonial and Revolutionary eras in South Carolina including a letter from George Washington to S.C. Governor John Mathews dated 1783, "Map of Carolina" by cartographer John Speed dated 1676, and an Indenture from the Hammond Family dated 1791.

The state exhibit also will be featured at the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville on April 23, the Aiken County Historical Museum on May 23 and the South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston on June 27. When not traveling, it will be on display at SCDAH's Columbia office Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. until the end of the year. There is no fee to visit.

W. Eric Emerson, SCDAH agency director, state historic preservation officer and state archivist, said the SCDAH has a long tradition of making South Carolina's historic records available to the public. "The 250th anniversary of our nation's founding is an excellent time to educate South Carolinians about their state's crucial role in the American Revolution by bringing key foundational documents to communities throughout the state," he added.

Exhibit curator, D. Andrew Johnson, noted that the SCDAH holds many important documents from America's Founding Era. "We thought this would be an excellent time to have some of them on public display. We want this exhibit to add to the broader conversation the public is having about the origins of our country," he said.

For more information, contact Gina White at [email protected].