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Festival of Black History and Culture
JUBILEE
Join Historic Columbia at Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21. Now in its 41st year, this free outdoor festival brings musician, artisans, dancers and storytellers together to celebrate South Carolina’s black history and culture on the grounds of the Mann-Simons Site.
Mark your calendars!
"I kind of see it as a way that community not only comes together and supports each other, but continuously grows. I think the impact of that is it's kind of like a family reunion of sorts."
— Porchia Moore on the importance of Jubilee
Why Join?
If you look around, you’ll see Historic Columbia’s advocacy work everywhere—from the Bull Street development to the new Palmetto Compress building…and we’ve got big plans to save even more historic properties from demolition, but we need the help of people like you to make it happen.
Join TodayWhy Join?
Your membership helps us create entertaining historical programming that brings people from diverse age groups and backgrounds together. Our educational programs help explain the connections between our past and present, using history as a prism for a deeper understanding.
Join TodayWhy Join?
As a member, you’ll get discounted admission and early access to our most popular events. Joining Historic Columbia is a great way to “plug in” to the city’s professional network and get involved in your community.
Join TodayTours
Connect with History
We offer historic house tours six days a week, garden tours for groups, off-site walking and bus tours and self-guided neighborhood web-based tours.
Take a TourRentals
Historically Ever After
Let your special day be one for the history books at any of our beautiful rental properties.
Rent a VenueUpcoming Events
Thursday, September 19th — Tuesday, October 29th
10 a.m.—4 p.m.
1616 Blanding St., Columbia, SC 29201
Historic Columbia is proud to continue in the footsteps of the Palmetto Garden Club by offering another Holiday Greenery Sale . Orders can be placed until Tuesday, Oct. 29. Just as in years past, the sale will feature fresh mountain greenery, locally grown poinsettias, and other items that would make...
Saturday, September 21st
11 a.m. — 6 p.m.
Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture
1403 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join Historic Columbia at Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21. Now in its 41st year, this free outdoor festival brings musician, artisans, dancers and storytellers together to celebrate South Carolina’s black history and culture on the grounds of the Mann-Simons Site.
Thursday, September 26th
6:30 — 8:30 p.m.
History Center Annual Lecture in Political History
1431 Assembly St., Columbia, SC 29201
Elaine Weiss is an award-winning journalist and writer whose work has appeared in The Atlantic and the New York Times . According to The New Yorker , Weiss' The Woman’s Hour "grippingly recounts the twists and reversals that took place in the weeks leading up to the suffrage victory, but...
Friday, September 27th
12 — 2 p.m.
Women and the Right to Vote: A Conversation with Marjorie Spruill and Elaine Weiss
1615 Blanding St., Columbia, SC 29201
Join us for a roundtable discussion on the contemporary relevance of the women's suffrage movement and women and politics today with journalist Elaine Weiss, author of The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote and historian Marjorie Spruill, author of New Women of the New South: The Leaders of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the Southern States and Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics.
Saturday, September 28th — Monday, September 30th
1—4 p.m.
1616 Blanding St., Columbia, SC 29201
Scarecrows will take over the Robert Mills House gardens! This free exhibit will feature handcrafted scarecrows made by local families, businesses, organizations and classrooms. On a stroll through the gardens this fall, you’ll see dozens of ghoulish, historic and colorful scarecrows.
Tuesday, October 1st
10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
Scarecrows in the Garden Exhibit Opens
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Scarecrows will take over the Robert Mills House gardens! This free exhibit will feature handcrafted scarecrows made by local families, business, organizations and classrooms. On a stroll through the gardens this fall, you’ll see dozens of ghoulish, historic and colorful scarecrows.
Tuesday, October 1st
6 — 7:30 p.m.
TBD, Columbia, SC 29201
Join Historic Columbia and Palladium for a tour of this newly renovated Shandon home! Presented by The Moore Company , the Renovation Rodeo series takes guests on tours of old homes and buildings in the Columbia area that have been refurbished and renovated while staying true to the roots and...
Thursday, October 3rd
3:30 — 4:30 p.m.
1615 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join Historic Columbia and Richland County Public Library for a special outdoor Storytime in the Gardens! Enjoy stories and songs at the Gardens of the Hampton Preston Mansion. In addition, participate in old fashioned historic games in gardens. This event is free and open to children of all ages.
Friday, October 4th
10 — 11:30 a.m.
Homeschool Friday | The State Fair in South Carolina
1616 Blanding St., Columbia, SC 29201
In honor of the South Carolina State Fair’s 150th anniversary, students will learn about the history of agricultural and state fairs in South Carolina. Together we will learn about the legacy of agricultural fairs on the state fair, including the evolution of fair attractions and food. Students will explore the...
Thursday, October 10th
6 — 9:30 p.m.
501 Elmwood Avenue, Columbia, SC 29201
Grab your flashlights and join Historic Columbia and Elmwood Cemetery staff for guided tours presenting some of Columbia’s eerie and peculiar past by the light of the moon! Different than the regular monthly tours, Spirits Alive! Cemetery Tours feature costumed tour guides, snacks and other Halloween-related activities.
Saturday, October 12th
9 a.m. — 12 p.m.
Garden Workshop | Conifers & Broadleaf Evergreens for the Southern Garden
1616 Blanding St., Columbia, SC 29201
Traditionally, fall is the time of year that we are told we should be “putting our garden to bed,” but the mild winters of South Carolina offer an excellent opportunity to enjoy your yard and garden. There are many plants that can be included in your landscape to provide color...
Sunday, October 13th
2 — 3:30 p.m.
Columbia City of Women Guided Walking and Bus Tour
1100 Gervais St., Columbia, SC 29208
Join Historic Columbia for a guided tour of the places our 2019 Columbia City of Women honorees made their greatest impact in Columbia.
Saturday, October 19th
10:30 a.m. — 12 p.m.
1616 Blanding Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Join Historic Columbia for four annual Girl Scouts-only events! Registration is only available through Girl Scouts of South Carolina for these programs; the fee for each program is $11.00 per Girl and $7.00 per adult. October's Cemetery Hunt explores the history of Columbia and historic downtown cemeteries. Scouts will learn...
Sunday, October 20th
1 — 4 p.m.
Dollar Sunday | Mann-Simons Site
1403 Richland Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Every third Sunday of the month, residents of Richland and Lexington counties are invited to tour of one of Historic Columbia’s house museums for just $1 on Dollar Sunday! This month, visit the exhibits at the Mann-Simons Site, the home to the same African-American family for nearly 130 years.
Sunday, October 27th
2 — 3:30 p.m.
Columbia City of Women Guided Walking and Bus Tour
1100 Gervais St., Columbia, SC 29208
Join Historic Columbia for a guided tour of the places our 2019 Columbia City of Women honorees made their greatest impact in Columbia.
City of Women Honorees
Celia Dial Saxon
On May 31, 1877, Celia Emma Dial and seven other African American women graduated from the South Carolina State Normal School. Established by an act of the General Assembly of South Carolina on February 26, 1873, the State Normal School was chartered “for the training and educating of teachers in the art of instructing and governing in the public schools of this State, which shall be open to all persons who may wish to become teachers.” In the fall, she began a teaching career that would span 57 years and make her the most celebrated educator, black or white, in Columbia.
Latest News from HC
Jubilee: Festival of Black History and Culture
Dawn enjoying the festivities at last year's Jubilee. What’s not to love about Columbia? After all, it is a real southern hot spot. But when one of the largest, continuously running outdoor festivals is hosted in a real southern hot spot, everyone is in for a treat. I’m talking about...
