The Charleston Museum

_The very first historical museum in the nation just so happens to be located in the heart of Charleston, SC, one of Best Weekends’ favorite featured seaside getaways. The Charleston Museum, established in 1773, is still catching the eye of the public with incredible collections and exhibits of American history. In commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the museum is featuring a collection of exhibits including it’s lobby exhibit, Blasted: Assorted Projectiles and Explosives of the Civil War. It presents an original exhibition of revolutionary artillery shells and small arms projectiles used and created during the war. Some artifacts with the most hype include the rare Quinlivan shot used to penetrate Federal ironclads and the two chambered incendiary shell used by Charleston defense. Blasted will be open until September 10, 2012. Other exhibitions included in the Civil War commemoration are City Under Siege: Charleston in the Civil War and The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls. City Under Siege is an ongoing permanent exhibit that focuses on the time period between South Carolina’s succession to 1865 and features uniforms, firearms, “gunboat china,” the watch of a fallen soldier, and even the prosthesis of Colonel Peter Gaillord who lost his hand in battle on Morris Island. The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls is a traveling exhibit from The South Carolina State Museum that opens April 13 and will run until June 19. It will be on display for the May 13, 150th anniversary of Smalls’ fight to freedom in 1862 on the Confederate vessel, Planter. The Charleston Museum captures the Civil War era in the sesquicentennial collection that brings to life the history of Charleston, SC.
Ellen Studer
Bestweekends.com