South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office

South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
Name	South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
Jurisdiction	South Carolina
Parent agency	South Carolina Department of Archives and History

South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office is the state agency charged with preserving and documenting South Carolina's historic and cultural resources. It administers programs that coordinate with National Park Service, implement provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and maintain the National Register of Historic Places nominations for locations across Charleston, South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, and other municipalities. The office interacts with federal entities such as the Historic Preservation Fund and local organizations including the Charleston Museum, the Charleston Historic District, and county historical societies.

History

The office traces its statutory origins to the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and subsequent state enabling legislation in South Carolina General Assembly. Early activities involved recording sites linked to colonial eras like Charles Town, Revolutionary War engagements including the Battle of Sullivan's Island, and Civil War events such as the Siege of Charleston (1780) and the Battle of Fort Sumter. Over decades the office worked with preservation movements exemplified by groups like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society of Architectural Historians, and regional entities such as the Historic Charleston Foundation to document antebellum plantations like Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, industrial heritage at places like Manchester Village Historic District, and African American heritage sites including Penn Center and the Harriet Tubman era narratives that intersect with Underground Railroad studies.

Organization and Leadership

Structured within the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, the office comprises divisions for survey and inventory, nominations, tax credits, and archaeology. Leadership roles have included state historic preservation officers who liaise with the National Park Service and testify before bodies like the United States Congress and the South Carolina General Assembly. Staff collaborate with professionals from the American Institute of Architects, Association for Preservation Technology International, Society for Historical Archaeology, and university programs at Clemson University, University of South Carolina, and Columbia College (South Carolina). The office coordinates with county preservation commissions in locales such as Beaufort, South Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina, and Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Roles and Responsibilities

The office evaluates nominations to the National Register of Historic Places and administers the Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act review process for projects involving agencies like the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It oversees state historic tax credit programs that affect rehabilitation projects at sites like Mann-Simons Site and commercial corridors in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Archaeological responsibilities include permitting for investigations at Fort Moultrie, Hagley Museum and Library-adjacent sites, and shell midden contexts tied to Mississippian culture and Waccamaw-associated assemblages. The office enforces compliance with laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act when cultural resources are implicated by federal undertakings.

Programs and Initiatives

Key initiatives include the state historic preservation tax credit, survey and inventory projects for rural landscapes like the Congaree National Park periphery, and thematic nominations covering African American historic sites and Civil Rights Movement landmarks such as locations connected to Modjeska Simkins and Septima Poinsette Clark. The office runs the Heritage Trust Program and partners on battlefield preservation for sites from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War including efforts at Kings Mountain National Military Park-adjacent properties. Grants support rehabilitation of structures from architectural traditions including Georgian architecture in the United States, Federal architecture, and Victorian architecture examples in the Upstate (South Carolina) and the Lowcountry (South Carolina).

State and Federal Partnerships

The office partners with federal bodies such as the National Park Service, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Federal Highway Administration, and with state agencies including the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Collaborations extend to non-profits like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Preservation Partners Network, and regional museums including the Fort Sumter National Monument and the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation. Higher education partnerships include programs at College of Charleston, Winthrop University, and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission.

Notable Projects and Preservation Successes

Prominent successes include nominations that secured protections for districts in Charleston Historic District and Beaufort Historic District, rehabilitation of industrial complexes in Greenville County and Spartanburg County, and archaeology-led recoveries at Charles Towne Landing and Drayton Hall. The office supported preservation of sites associated with figures such as Francis Marion, John C. Calhoun, Andrew P. Furman-adjacent histories, and contributed to recognition of Brown v. Board of Education-era local landmarks and Civil Rights Movement sites tied to Modjeska Simkins and John Lewis. It has enabled adaptive reuse projects at former textile mills in the Piedmont (United States) and waterfront restorations in Beaufort, South Carolina and Georgetown, South Carolina.

Funding and Grants

Funding streams include allocations from the Historic Preservation Fund, state appropriations approved by the South Carolina General Assembly, and federal competitive grants administered through the National Park Service. The office administers the state historic rehabilitation tax credit and grant programs that leverage private investment, community development financial institutions, and philanthropic support from organizations like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Getty Foundation. Emergency stabilization funds have been deployed following events coordinated with Federal Emergency Management Agency responses to hurricanes affecting the Southeastern United States.

Public Outreach and Education

Outreach programs engage schools and communities via partnerships with the South Carolina Humanities Council, the South Carolina State Museum, and county historical societies. Educational initiatives include workshops for local preservation commissions, materials for teachers aligned with South Carolina Department of Education standards, and public lectures featuring scholars from Historic Preservation Program at Clemson University and University of South Carolina Department of History. The office promotes heritage tourism linking sites such as Route 17 (U.S. Route 17 in South Carolina), Lowcountry Sea Islands, and cultural corridors tied to Gullah Geechee heritage to broader networks including the National Historic Landmarks Program.

Category:Historic preservation in South Carolina