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Please note The Museum of the Reconstruction Era will be closed for house tours Wednesday, Feb. 1 - Friday, Feb. 3 due to garden renovations, and the Robert Mills House will be closed for tours on Thursday, Feb. 2 due to a private event on site.

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Rutledge College

University of South Carolina Horseshoe

The very first building constructed for South Carolina College, originally known as South Building, opened its doors in 1805. It contained a dormitory, lecture hall, chapel and library. In 1855, a fire severly destroyed the original elements of the chapel and the west wing of the building and was subsequently rebuilt. When the university was desegregated between 1873 and 1877, this building housed the State Normal School for Teachers, a program that trained African Americans to become teachers. The building is currently used for student dormitories, and the renovated chapel is available for rentals.

  • Rutledge College

    Rutledge College, "Artwork of Columbia, S.C., published by Gravure Illustration Company, 1905." Historic Columbia collection, HCF 2008.4.1H

  • Normal School 1875

    Graduates at the State Normal School for Teachers pose with their principal on the steps of Rutledge College. Image courtesy South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia

  • Rutledge College 1875

    Rutledge College, circa 1875. Image courtesy South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia

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Historic Columbia

© 2023 Historic Columbia

Administrative Offices
1601 Richland Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Tours
All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
1616 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

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