Laurens County Museum Exhibits
The Laurens County Museum is proud to offer a large variety of exhibits that reflect the diverse history of our county.
Business Exhibit
Former Laurens County enterprises are remembered through photos, advertisements, and marketing memorabilia in this exhibit. Noted among the framed photos is one of Cora McCord, who owned a photography studio on the Laurens square at the turn of the century, African American entrepreneur Charles Duckett standing beside the pick-up he used in his undertaking business, and a picture of Mr. Chandler’s garage, once located in the building that now houses the museum. Suspended from the ceiling is the hood of a vintage truck discovered in the attic of the museum during renovations. It is displayed along with other automotive parts also found in the rafters.
Architectural Exhibit
Is that a real door? Yes and no. It is a real wooden door taken out of the local Barksdale homestead and made without any nails, only pegs. But don’t try to open it. It’s mounted on the wall as part of our architectural exhibit. Hand hewn beams frame the case that displays antique door knobs, gaslight fixtures, hand forged nails, and an assortment of old-fashioned keys. The keyholes are on view too!
Churches Exhibit
Religion has been important in the lives of area residents since the founding of the district in the seventeen hundreds. Many of the churches in Laurens County are represented in our church exhibit. Among the items displayed is a hand carved plaque depicting Belleview Baptist Church, a portion of the stained glass window & banner from the recently demolished Bethel AME Church, the wooden hand tools used to build Beaverdam Baptist Church, and a one-hundred-year old pew from Rock Bridge Presbyterian. Many church bulletins are on view along with the vintage machines and name plates that created them. We also have an extensive collection of commemorative plates from various places of worship.
The Country Store
Our reproduction of a rural country store is stocked with an array of typical products from sacks of flour to oil cans. A checker board sporting soda bottle caps as markers waits for players atop the sturdy wooden sales counter. In keeping with the many services old-time groceries provided their customers, ours comes equipped with pigeon holed mailboxes and a ballot box from the community of Ora, known in earlier days as Scuffletown.
Native American Heritage
Many tribes used the verdant lands of Laurens County as hunting grounds and signs of their presence can be found to this day. Our Native American exhibit displays 172 arrowheads as well as stone axes, pottery shards, plumb bobs, drills, pipes, flints, and a soapstone bowl dated to Apx. 3000 B.C. Various rocks and minerals are also on view, including 87 examples of amethyst and quartz, two vermiculate rocks, and a large piece of hematite iron ore. Two deer hides are also on display, cured and uncured.
The School Room
Our school exhibit recalls the days of the one room school house, like the ones depicted in photos around the room. A wide variety of student desks are on display, including a little wood desk chair out of the Coggins “Colored” school in Cross Hill, a wrought iron legged desk complete with ink well, and a plastic molded desk out of the Florida Street School in Laurens. Of course, Teacher has her own antique desk in front of the class under a print of George Washington. A school bell is at the ready to call her charges in from recess. Bookcases hold texts such as Our Language, Book One, published in 1927, a 1938 copy of Story Pictures of Our Neighbors, and an Elementary Arithmetic from 1898. We also have an extensive collection of yearbooks from the Laurens and Hickory Tavern high schools, Ford School, and Presbyterian College. Stationed on the wall outside the schoolroom, look up at the original scoreboard from Ford School. The home team is always winning at the Laurens County Museum.
Harris Springs Resort
A popular resort in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Harris Springs bottled Lithia water for sale in such well-heeled establishments as the Waldorf Astoria in New York. Reputed to cure kidney ailments as well as depression, the resort boasted a 200 room hotel. Until the building burned in 1932, people came from all over the southeast to take the springs, traveling by horse, carriage, and train. Turns out, Lithia did have curative properties and is now used in the form of the drug Lithium to treat mental disorders. Mementos, post cards, glass bottles, and news articles make up the majority of this exhibit. Also on display, a rare whiskey bottle from the local dispensary - a less effective remedy for your troubles.
Laurens Public Works
This exhibit consists of an antique gas meter tester donated to the museum by LPW. Dating to the 40’s or 50’s, the tester stands eight feet tall and is constructed of copper with rubber hoses. It was manufactured by Rockwell Manufacturing, an offshoot of the Safety Appliance Company founded by George Westinghouse who invented gas meters in 1886. It is displayed with a large aerial map of the city of Laurens.
The Post Office
In days gone by, a post office wasn’t much more than a wood cage with an opening for delivery of stamps and mail. Ours comes from the Cross Hill community. Hanging on one side, a leather mail bag waits for a carrier to sling it over his shoulder and deliver the vintage postcards and historic letters that make up our exhibit. Of special note is a reconstruction era letter from an ex-slave requesting reparation money from the state, and a RSVP from Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of American, turning down an invitation to a party being held at the home of Mrs. Winthrop Ray in Clinton, South Carolina.
The Hall Gallery
Here we have the pleasure to exhibit original art by local artists, past and present. Skip Shelton, Louise McCord, and Mary Monroe are some of those represented. Also displayed on these walls are vintage photos of area locations and antique maps.
The Rotating Exhibit Room
The space at the front of the museum whose picture windows look out onto W. Laurens Street is designated for rotating exhibits, changing every three to six months. We have featured displays on pottery, antique tools, a reconstructed 1930’s kitchen, and the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. Check this website, Facebook, and Twitter for our current presentation.
Now On Exhibit – A tribute to the Piedmont Rural Telephone Company (PRTC) on its 60th anniversary.
This exhibit features the telecommunications collections of Mr. Richard Edwards and Mr. Jerry Stoddard. Both gentleman are retired employees of PRTC having started their careers in 1951 at the inception of coordinated phone service in the county.
