The Charleston Museum presents its second archive image exhibit
February 2, 2016
The Charleston Museum presents its second offering in its new Lowcountry Image Gallery, providing a glimpse into the past of the area’s surrounding islands
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CHARLESTON, SC – Beaches and Boardwalks: Charleston Island Scenes, a new exhibit in The Charleston Museum’s Lowcountry Image Gallery, will be on display from today, February 1, toMay 10, 2016 and feature photographs of both locals and visitors as they enjoy Charleston’s surrounding beaches and the amusement parks that once entertained the area’s summer crowds. The images that will be included in Beaches and Boardwalks were captured on film by professional photographers such as Louis Schwartz, Franklin Frost Sams, and Milton Brailsford Paine as well as resident beach-goers and vacationing tourists.
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In the early 1900s, Sullivan’s Island became the place to buy a summer home while Folly Beach and the Isle of Palms became the place to go to for entertainment. Permanent boardwalks and piers were installed on both Folly and Isle of Palms and temporary amusement parks sprang up for locals and tourists to enjoy during the summer months. Eventually, these beach pavilions and amusement rides declined in popularity and the boardwalks, some destroyed by fire and others no longer viable, became part of the past. Thanks to the work of the photographers featured in this upcoming exhibit, we have a record of the days when one could walk along a boardwalk, ride The Whip or The Steeplechase, then stroll along the beach or wade into the surf.Archivist and Collections Manager Jennifer McCormick notes “Spending time by the ocean, whether in surf or sand, has always been a way for people to connect with nature. Historically a place for wealthy planters to summer, the end of the Civil War and the advent of the automobile made Charleston’s beaches and islands a more accessible destination that everyone could enjoy.”
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About The Charleston Museum
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Charleston Museum, founded in 1773, is America’s first museum. Holding the most extensive collection of South Carolina cultural and scientific materials in the nation, it also owns two National Historic Landmark houses, the Heyward-Washington House (1772) and the Joseph Manigault House (1803), as well as the Dill Sanctuary, a 580-acre wildlife preserve.
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