Historic Columbia to Participate in Blue Star Museums
May 21, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – From Memorial Day through Labor Day 2014, Historic Columbia will offer active duty military personnel and their families free tours of its historic house museums as part of the Blue Star Museums program.
A collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across America, Blue Star Museums offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from May 26 to Sept. 1. This program provides families an opportunity to enjoy the nation’s cultural heritage and learn more about their new communities after a military move.
“Historic Columbia is proud to be a Blue Star Museum,” said Robin Waites, executive director of HC. “Through this collaboration, service members and their families can experience Columbia and Richland County’s rich history, and we are thrilled to give back to those who give so much for our country.”
Historic Columbia offers tours of the Robert Mills House, Hampton-Preston Mansion, Mann-Simons Site and the newly reopened Woodrow Wilson Family Home, South Carolina’s presidential site, every day of the week except Mondays. Tours start on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tour tickets can be purchased at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills at 1616 Blanding St. All tours begin at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills. For more information about the HC and its historic house museums, please visit historiccolumbia.org.
The Blue Star Museums free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes to active duty U.S. military—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps—and up to five family members.
More than 2,000 (and counting) museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American Samoa are participating in Blue Star Museums, including history and science museums, children’s museums, fine arts museums and nature centers. For more information, visit www.arts.gov/national/blue-star-museums.
About Historic Columbia:
In November 1961, a small group of individuals intent on saving the Ainsley Hall House from demolition officially incorporated as the Historic Columbia Foundation. Over the next five decades the organization, which was founded on the premise of preservation and education, would take on the stewardship of seven historic properties in Richland County. Today, the organization serves as a model for local preservation efforts and interpretation of local history. Visit historiccolumbia.org or find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube for more details.
About Blue Star Museums:
Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America. The program runs from Memorial Day,May 26, 2014 through Labor Day, September 1, 2014. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly. To find participating museums and plan your trip, visit arts.gov/national/blue-star-museums. Museums that wish to participate in Blue Star Museums may contact [email protected], or Wendy Clark at 202-682-5451.
About Blue Star Families:
Blue Star Families is a national, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, dedicated to supporting, connecting and empowering military families. With our partners, Blue Star Families hosts a robust array of morale and empowerment programs, including Books on Bases, Blue Star Museums, Operation Honor Corps, Blue Star Careers and Operation Appreciation. Blue Star Families also works directly with the Department of Defense and senior members of local, State and Federal government to bring the most important military family issues to light. Working in concert with fellow nonprofits, community advocates, and public officials, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life and works to make military life more sustainable. Our worldwide membership includes military spouses, children, parents, and friends, as well as service members, veterans and civilians. To learn more about Blue Star Families, visit www.bluestarfam.org. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
About the National Endowment for the Arts:
The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.
