Giving Opportunities

Using the Society's publication "Slave Records in the Manuscript Collection of the South Carolina Historical Society: A Catalog", the Society plans to digitize eighteenth and nineteenth century manuscripts materials that bear witness to the lives and experiences of enslaved persons in South Carolina. Through this project, scholars, genealogists, students, and educators will have unlimited access to letters, diaries, ledgers, images, and ephemeral objects through the College of Charleston’s Lowcountry Digital Library (LCDL), a branch of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA).

Estimated total: $20,000

The cover glass is deteriorating in the form of "weeping glass" and the surface of the image contains mold and dirt, part of which affects the face of the subject. A conservator recommends that the glass be replaced entirely and retained in separate storage. In addition to cleaning the surface of the ambrotype, brass mat, and preserver, the ambrotype would be resealed and new cover glass will be placed into the preserver.

Estimated total: $750

Ball frequently painted in the Plein Air style. Due to this and other unknown storage conditions before arriving at the Historical Society, the paintings were exposed to excessive moisture, heat, and organic elements. Conservation would allow the true vibrancy and depth of the colors of her paintings to be as she intended and ensure the continued existence of her beautiful and underappreciated works for future generations.

Estimated total: $1,500 per painting

Greater access to the rich information contained in this journal, which is part of the Doar-Middleton families papers, will be possible once it undergoes conservation treatment for extensive pest, water, and mold damage.

Estimated total: $14,000

Greater access to the rich information contained in these letters, diaries, and works of art will be possible once the collection is rehoused and more comprehensively arranged and described. Preservation of fragile photographs, silhouettes, sketches, and scrapbooks will allow researchers and scholars to expand what is known about Bennett as well as other Charleston Renaissance artists and writers, including Dubose Heyward, Josephine Pinckney, and Laura Bragg.


Our estimated total includes time and supplies for re-housing and describing the contents.

Estimated total: $10,500

Greater access to the rich information contained in this large collection will be possible once the material is rehoused and more comprehensively arranged and described. Preservation of fragile photographs, sketches, and bound ledgers will allow researchers and scholars to expand what is known about important events that shaped the history of both South Carolina and the nation from the colonial era to the dawn of the twentieth century.

Our estimated total includes time and supplies for re-housing and describing the contents.

Estimated total: $7,500

The Rebel features a colorful masthead depicting a camp tent surmounted by the first official Confederate flag, the “Stars and Bars,” along with letters to the editor, advertisements, war news, weather observations, moral advice, and social notices. Another handwritten newspaper, the Rapidann, was produced by a South Carolinian soldier in a Confederate camp in Virginia.

The Prison Times, written by a Confederate prisoner of war, contains advertisements for tailoring, barbering, music, religious assistance, as well as debate and chess clubs. It also features poetry, a barracks directory, and descriptions of and comments on prison life. These items are in need of basic repairs and improved storage to ensure that they are preserved and accessible by generations to come.

Estimated total: $2,500

The delicate blue and white scarf is made of silk. Intricate repair and stabilization with adhesive is required for this fragile piece.

Estimated total: $5,000

Significant cleaning and repairs are necessary to stabilize this item and ensure its accessibility and preservation for future generations.

Estimated total: $20,000