The Hampton County Museum has created a short digital movie featuring the upstairs of the Hampton County Old Jail, which is historically significant but currently inaccessible due to structural issues. SC Humanities supported this project with a Mini Grant in August 2014.
The upstairs of the Hampton County Jail, which now houses the Hampton County Museum, has been closed to visitors since 2009, when it was determined to be structurally unstable. The Hampton County Jail was constructed in 1879-1880, and the upstairs features a rare triple lock cellblock, one of the few surviving examples in the country. The National Register of Historic Places Program, produced by the SC Department of Archives and History, says: “The Hampton County Jail…is significant as a public facility designed and used to enforce law as well as the racial segregation policies of the American South in its administration of local justice for the ensuing century following Reconstruction.”
The film will be shown at the museum to visitors as well as being made available on the Hampton County Museum’s Facebook page and future website. A public premiere is planned for Monday February 2, 2015 at 5:15 p.m. For more information about the Hampton County Museum, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HamptonCountyMusuem.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. SC Humanities programs and initiatives are balanced, reflecting sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations.
Image courtesy of the Hampton County Museum