Blog
Ashlin & Matt at the Seibels House & Garden
Ashlin Reese and Matt Skidmore tied the knot at the beautiful Seibels House & Garden on March 23, 2018. When close friends and family arrived at this intimate celebration, they were encouraged to sign a Jenga block, in lieu of a traditional guest book. The smell of fresh lavender and...
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Hampton-Preston Reopens
At Historic Columbia, we have the great responsibility of being the stewards of the unique Richland County-owned site that is Hampton-Preston. Since reopening the Woodrow Wilson Family Home in 2014, our organization has shown an unwavering commitment to tell a more complete and inclusive history at all the sites that...
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2018 Preservation Award Winners
We're excited to announce the recipients of our 2018 Preservation Awards . Each May, in conjunction with National Preservation Month, we present these awards to celebrate the accomplishments of local property owners; professionals in the fields of architecture, construction and design; and leaders who champion preservation as an opportunity to...
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Reconstruction's Legacy
The Palmetto State’s historical connections to the 14th Amendment don’t often garner lots of attention. Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy , a Columbia native who is one of the nation’s top experts on civil rights and civil liberties, plans to change that in his keynote address at the upcoming symposium...
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The Congaree Vista: Then, Now and Tomorrow
The words view, landscape and outlook are among the many meanings of the word Vista. Throughout its diverse history Columbia’s Congaree Vista has embodied all of these definitions. The district continues to do so today, though the interpretations of those meanings have changed over time to reflect the transformation that...
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The Slave Dwelling Project Visits Historic Columbia Site
On Thursday, April 5, 2012, Joseph McGill, a field officer with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a Civil War 54th Regiment re-enactor, offered an unprecedented program for Historic Columbia Foundation. In an effort to heighten awareness in and support of preserving sites associated with slavery McGill spent the...
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Preservation Matters
Much-anticipated capital improvements to the Hampton-Preston site during work this winter and spring have yielded exciting finds—both inside and outside the building. In December, paint analyst Betty Prime with Meadors Construction of Charleston, spent two days pulling samples to determine how occupants changed the house over time to better suit...
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Including Voices Long-Unheard
Imagine having a story to share with others but being unable to do so. Perhaps, no one wanted to hear what you had to say—even if your contribution would make everyone’s experience more meaningful. Maybe your voice was muted intentionally; maybe it was quieted, or silenced altogether, through circumstances, including...
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Monkey Puzzle: The "Living Fossil" of Hampton-Preston
The gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion were one of the most celebrated in the antebellum south. With so much space to fill, we have relied on several sources to narrow our focus for plant material. While no explicit records of the content of the gardens exists from the Hamptons or...
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HP's Newest Installation
Good things come to those who wait. That’s a great saying, if in the end you do indeed get what you waited for. The forthcoming installation of an historically correct floor covering in the entry hall of the Hampton-Preston Mansion is eighteen years in the making for HC’s Director of...
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