Fort Mill History Museum

310 North White Street

Fort Mill, South Carolina, 29715

Figure 1. Fort Mill History Museum building

Figure 2. Fort Mill History Museum entrance

Alicia Bagley

Fort Mill History Museum

Overview
Fort Mill History Museum is a hidden
gem located in historic downtown Fort
Mill, South Carolina. The museum,
although small, provides rich local
history and genealogy resources to the
town.

History of Fort Mill History Museum

Figure 3. Fort Mill History Museum reception area

Fort Mill is home to York Countys

only local history museum. The Fort Mill History Museum opened in 1992 in a restored train
caboose located in the heart of the town. Through the years the museum operated to provide
glimpses of history to its residents; in return the members of the community began donating
historical artifacts. Fort Mill History Museum continued to grow and eventually became too
large for their small caboose location. The museum received donations and grants which granted
it the opportunity to move to its current location at 310 North White Street in September 2010, a
few blocks away from Main Street.
Key People and the Mission
The Fort Mill History museum is operated by one full time employee, Kira Ferris, who is
the deputy director. The museum also has two part time employees; the executive director and
the curator. The museum also has a board of trustees consisting of several key figures in the

community. This organization strives to promote local artists and the towns history. The mission
of the museum is to promote the collection, preservation, educational interpretation, and display
of those artifacts, documents and events most representative of Fort Mill, South Carolina its prehistory and history, its people and institutions, and its cultural and economic development
(personal communication, January 20, 2015). The museum works around an established set of
core principles and values. The organization also wishes to maintain a strong volunteer
component to help plan, remain family-oriented, be recognized for excellence in the museum
community, be financially sound, and recognized as an important historical and educational
resource.
Events and Offerings
The museum is open to the public on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. and charges a nominal entrance fee. They offer several activities and outreach
opportunities for the residents. The museums website, www.fmhm.org, allows the public to
remain up-to-date with the various events and exhibits. One of the museums largest attractions
and most significant is the Fort Mill History Days event. One-hundred and fifty years ago
Jefferson Davis held the last Confederate Government Cabinet meeting in Fort Mill. The Fort
Mill History Days celebrates the anniversary of the meeting. The event will take place during the
last weekend in April and will have various war reenactments; a revolutionary time period
church service, a firing of a real cannon, a sale of historic artifacts, and much more (personal
communication, January 20, 2015). The Strawberry Festival is another big event the museum
helps sponsor. The city puts on a festival in the spring when strawberries become ripe and are
ready to be picked from the largest farm in the town. Fort Mill residents and guests from other
towns are able to pick strawberries, listen to live music, partake in art sales, participate in an all

age beauty pageant, enjoy a movie in the park, and participate in strawberry eating contests. The
museum helps with coordinating the events and they offer local art shows and showcase
historical farming artifacts.

Figure 4. Showcase of the towns historical artifacts

The museum also provides opportunities for learning and enrichment to help advance the
preservation of its past. Throughout the year the museum has guest speakers, lectures on history
and art, contributes in the Earth Day festival, and hosts book signings. In the past, Fort Mill
History Museum and local high schools united to develop paintings that documented the history
of the town. These paintings became a part of a special collection and exhibition. The exhibit
became a regionally cultural collection titled the Greenway Land Trust. The series of artifacts
and paintings on display show how the land and culture has changed during the past four
centuries. One of the museums current exhibits documents the life of the African slave Robert
Smalls. Documents about his work, slavery, newspaper articles about his journey after freedom,
and artifacts he owned are on display. The museum provides many other cultural connections
through their exhibits and their genealogy room.
Volunteers of the museum strive to track and
record the genealogy of the towns local residents.

Challenges, Key Moments, and the

Future
The museum has had several notable
Figure 5. Artifacts from the Robert Smalls exhibit

accomplishments. Their size and location present

challenges they wish to overcome in the future. Fort Mill History Museum is the only local town
history museum of York County; they have received an award from the South Carolina
Confederation of Local Historical Societies for promoting history. The museum is also pleased to
have the only Rent Book still in existence. This is a book that documents the sale and trade of
goods and land among Native Americans and others. Although the museum is growing, not all of

the local residents appreciate the history of the town. One of the organizations biggest challenges
is reaching the individuals that are in the age range between 18-65 years old. The Fort Mill
History Museum is interested in establishing genealogy of the residents and an obstacle they are
struggling to overcome is the fact that many individuals are not interested in their genealogy.
Even with their challenges they are still striving to become a better local museum. As time
progresses the museum wishes to move closer to Main Street, the heart of the town to attract
more guest, continue to encourage educational opportunities through the local schools and to
develop their local history exhibits.

References
Fort Mill History Museum. (January 18, 2014). Retrieved from http://www.fmhm.org.

List of Figures
Figure 1. Fort Mill History Museum building

Figure 2. Fort Mill History Museum entrance

Figure 3. Fort Mill History Museum reception area

2

Figure 4. Showcase of the towns historical artifacts

3
Figure 5. Artifacts from the Robert Smalls exhibit

Authors Note
I would like thank Kira Ferris for taking the time to speak with me about her passion and work at
the Museum.