Department of Archives and History Documents

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History publishes a variety of documents on the history of the state and preservation methods and best-practices.

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Recent Submissions

  • Publication
    South Carolina Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations
    (South Carolina State Library, 2024) South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office; Council of South Carolina Professional Archaeologists; South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology
    This is an advisory framework for archaeological fieldwork and reporting in the state of South Carolina. It offers guidance to project archaeologists, administrators, and other interested parties who prepare reports and case studies like those initiated or conditioned by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended.
  • Publication
    South Carolina Historic Tax Credit Programs Annual Report Fiscal Year 2023-2024
    (South Carolina State Library, 2024) South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
    Historic preservation projects assisted by state and federal tax incentives provide a significant economic benefit to South Carolina and to the historic character of communities. The financial assistance offered by the tax credit programs is a key tool to assisting historic building rehabilitations in South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History State Historic Preservation Office is responsible for reviewing tax credit applications for income-producing projects seeking the 20% Federal Historic Tax Credit and/or the 10% (optional 25%) State Historic Tax Credit, and applica-tions for residential projects seeking the 25% State Historic Owner-Occupied Tax Credit (Homeowner). Each tax credit program includes a 3-part application process.
  • Publication
    City-wide architectural survey & historic preservation plan, Columbia, South Carolina
    (South Carolina State Library, 1993) South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office; John M. Bryan & Associates
    ln 1974, recognizing the need for a more effective preservation program, the City replaced the old Commission with a new Columbia Landmarks Commission. Now, it is time to review the strengths and weaknesses of the Landmarks Commission, to look at historic preservation in Columbia in the light of prnctices across the nation and to consider the wisdom of planning for the future.
  • Publication
    South Carolina Historic Tax Credit Programs annual report Fiscal Year 2021-2022
    (South Carolina State Library, 2023-01-10) South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
    Historic preservation projects assisted by state and federal tax incentives provide a significant economic benefit to South Carolina and to the historic character of communities. The financial assistance offered by the tax credit programs is a key tool to assisting historic building rehabilitations in South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History State Historic Preservation Office is responsible for reviewing tax credit applications for income-producing projects seeking the 20% Federal Historic Tax Credit and/or the 10% (optional 25%) State Historic Tax Credit, and applica-tions for residential projects seeking the 25% State Historic Owner-Occupied Tax Credit (Homeowner). Each tax credit program includes a 3-part application process.
  • Publication
    Plaques & certificates for the National Register of Historic Places
    (South Carolina State Library, 2011-09-01) South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
    The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of properties and sites with significance in American history and culture. Properties listed in the National Register earn the honor of displaying South Carolina’s National Register bronze plaque and parchment certificate. This brochure explains the process of obtaining a plaque or certificate for your property.
  • Publication
    Guidance for assessing damage to archaeological sites
    (South Carolina State Library, 2023-09) South Carolina Department of Archives and History
    The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) recommends the following when assessing damage to previously recorded archaeological sites to ensure the continuity of available archaeological data for future surveys and excavations. The recordation of site damage information is intended to be utilized by federal, state, or local agencies as well as academic institutions in analyzing the current preservation status of known archaeological sites either in permitting processes for proposed undertakings/projects or research endeavors. This information may be utilized by the SHPO to analyze the effectiveness of any proposed mitigation techniques to preserve the integrity of archaeological sites. An archaeologist who meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards must be present during the recordation of any information. The selection of a qualified archaeologist with a specific sub-specialty, if at all possible, should be based upon the type of archaeological deposits known. Site Damage may be defined as any physically direct or indirect impact to an archaeological site that has adversely affected its integrity including: looting pits (through conventional methods or metal detecting), mass grading, residential or industrial/commercial construction, erosion, or natural disasters.
  • Publication
    A historical and architectural survey of Conway, South Carolina Horry County, South Carolina
    (South Carolina State Library, 2005-07-30) South Carolina Department of Archives and History; New South Associates; Reed, Mary Beth; Langdale, Jennifer B.
    The guidelines for the project required the surveyors to document all the buildings constructed in Conway prior to 1955 with the exception of those properties already listed on the NRHP. Although most of the properties documented were buildings, a few structures were also included. The field survey began with the commercial district of Conway and fanned out to the residential neighborhoods starting with the Conwayborough section. A compiled inventory is included in Appendix A and a list of the 151 buildings surveyed in 1983 is included in Appendix B.
  • Publication
    Olympia Mill and Village : upper Richland County South Carolina historic and architectural survey
    (South Carolina State Library, 2002-06) South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc.; Martin, Jennifer F.; Theos, Nicholas G.; Woodard, Sarah A.; Richland County Conservation Commission
    The survey of the Olympia Mill Village is a component of the Historic Resources Survey of Upper Richland County. The state’s survey program is intended to preserve and document South Carolina’s history by collecting information about the state’s historic architecture. The survey of the Olympia Mill Village will allow the State Historic Preservation Office to evaluate the potential for including the village in the National Register of Historic Places, which is the nation’s list of historic resources worth of preservation. The survey will also raise the village’s historical value among the residents as well as provide a history of the mill and the village and a list or inventory of all the structures and buildings extant in the village.
  • Publication
    Guidance for assessing visual and indirect effects to historic landscapes
    (South Carolina State Library, 2020-02-11) South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
    These guidelines are provided by the State Historic Preservation Office to answer questions about assessing visual or indirect effects to landscapes and ways to avoid adverse visual or indirect effects to historic landscapes.
  • Publication
    Know your state, and make it known - the South Carolina historical marker program
    (South Carolina State Library, 2023-05-03) South Carolina Department of Archives and History
    This document contains information about historical markers, directions to apply, what markers can be about, what historical markers do, and other relevant resources.
  • Publication
    African American historic places in South Carolina
    (South Carolina State Library, 2023-06-02) South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office; South Carolina Department of Archives and History
    The following properties in South Carolina were listed in the National Register of Historic Places or recognized by the South Carolina Historical Marker program from July 2021 - June 2022 and have important associations with African American history.
  • Publication
    Upper Richland County, South Carolina historical and architectural inventory
    (South Carolina State Library, 2002-06) Martin, Jennifer F.; Theos, Nicholas G.; Woodard, Sarah A.; South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Richland County Conservation Commission; Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc.
    The primary objectives of the survey program were to gather, organize and present information about historic properties in photographs, words, maps and drawings. During the Upper Richland County survey, the surveyors sought to identify historic resources, record their locations and evaluate their significance in a local, statewide and national context.
  • Publication
    Contextualizing South Carolina’s tobacco buildings : historic overview & NRHP guidance
    (South Carolina State Library, 2013-08) South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
    This document gives a history of tobacco, tobacco farming and tobacco buildings in South Carolina.
  • Publication
    Horry County historic resource survey
    (South Carolina State Library, 2009-06-30) Reed, Mary Beth; Richey, Staci; South Carolina Department of Archives and History; New South Associates; Horry County (S.C.) Planning and Zoning Department
    The SCDAH selected New South Associates to perform the countywide historic resources survey, excluding the proposed I-73 corridor. This document discusses the historic context and resources recorded by New South Associates during the 2006 fieldwork.
  • Publication
    2018 supplement to a teacher's guide to African American historic places in South Carolina : integrating the arts into classroom instruction
    (South Carolina State Library, 2019-02-04) South Carolina African American Heritage Foundation
    This Arts Integration Supplement to the Teacher’s Guide to African American Historic Places in South Carolina outlines 22 lesson plans that utilize the 2017 South Carolina College-and Career-Ready Standards for Visual and Performing Arts as a tool for integrating African American History into classroom instruction through the arts. Education standards for English Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies are listed with each lesson plan, and these standards are current as of 2018.
  • Publication
    Historic architectural survey of the City of York, York County, South Carolina : final report
    (South Carolina State Library, 2008-11) South Carolina Department of Archives and History; York (S.C.); Wagoner, Paige; Lanphear, Kristina; Salo, Edward; Brockington and Associates, Inc.
    The objective of this survey is to identify all aboveground historic architectural resources in the survey universe that retain sufficient integrity to be included in the Statewide Survey of Historic Places. The project can provide information for public officials in the county to allow them to make informed decisions regarding the impact of development and other public activities on York’s cultural resources and to set priorities for the protection and use of these resources.
  • Publication
    City of Greenville, South Carolina architectural inventory
    (South Carolina State Library, 2003-05) South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Greenville (S.C.); Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc.; De Miranda, Cynthia; Fearnbach, Heather; Griffith, Clay W.; Martin, Jennifer F.; Woodard, Sarah A.
    This report contains an overview of the historical development of the city, a discussion of architectural styles represented in Greenville, a list of recommendations for National Register eligibility and local designation, and an inventory of all surveyed properties.
  • Publication
    The Carolina Lowcountry, April 1775 - June 1776 and the Battle of Fort Moultrie
    (South Carolina State Library, 1994) Lipscomb, Terry W.; South Carolina Department of Archives & History, Public Programs Division
    This publication is the first in a projected series of reference handbooks that will survey South Carolina in the Revolution. It is written for the general reader and covers the years 1775 and 1776..
  • Publication
    How did we get to now? : documenting African American schools in South Carolina from the Jim Crow era
    (South Carolina State Library, 2016-07) South Carolina Department of Archives and History; South Carolina African American Heritage Commission
    The primary focus was to compile an inventory of extant African American schools that existed in the period roughly between 1895 and 1970. In addition to inventorying these schools, this project was to provide relevant historical and physical data to the State Historic Preservation Office in order to evaluate their worthiness for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and the South Carolina Statewide Survey of Historic Properties database.
  • Publication
    South Carolina becomes a state : the road from colony to independence, 1765-1776
    (South Carolina State Library, 1988-07) Lipscomb, Terry W.; South Carolina Department of Archives and History
    A chronological presentation of the events in South Carolina from 1765-1776, the years when South Carolina became estranged from Great Britain, became closer to the other colonies, and helped found the United States.