Events

The Horry County Museum presents a program by Elizabeth Chew, CEO of the South Carolina Historical Society, on Saturday, September 14th, at 1:00 PM. In this slide lecture, Chew will show how central the history of South Carolina has been to the story of the United States. From the Spanish colony of Santa Elena on present-day Parris Island in the late 16th century to foundational events of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th, South Carolina has played a major role in the trajectory of the nation.
Elizabeth Chew became CEO of the South Carolina Historical Society in January 2024. A historian, curator, and educator, she has worked at museums and historic sites since 1985.
Prior to arriving in Charleston, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Curator at James Madison’s Montpelier in Virginia. During her 8 1/2 years at Montpelier, Dr. Chew led teams of curators, historians, educators, interpreters, public program creators, archaeologists, and historic preservation experts in researching and interpreting James Madison and his family, his essential roles in framing the U.S. Constitution and leading the nation, and the community of enslaved people on the plantation.
Prior to joining Montpelier, Dr. Chew led the curatorial and education division at Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, NC. Earlier in her career, she served as Curator at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA. During her thirteen-year tenure there, she was responsible for ongoing research and interpretation initiatives that wove together the Monticello house, its collections, the Jefferson family, and the enslaved community. Dr. Chew also worked in curatorial positions in art museums in Washington, D.C., at The Phillips Collection, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Raised in Augusta, Georgia, Elizabeth received a BA in art history from Yale University, an MA from the University of London, and PhD from UNC- Chapel Hill.
The program is free to the public and will be held in the Museum’s McCown Auditorium located at 805 Main Street, Conway, SC 29526. For more information, call 843-915-5320 or email hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov. To view a full list of scheduled programs, visit the museum website at www.horrycountymuseum.org.

The 2024 Horry County Museum Documentary Film Series continues with the documentary, Nothing to Prove: Mac Arnold Returns to the Blues. Southpaw bassist and South Carolina native Mac Arnold was only ten years old when he and his brother built a guitar out of a gas can, a couple strips of wood, a handful of nails, and some screen wire. Arnold played in J. Floyd & the Shamrocks (who frequently featured a young James Brown on piano) while still in high school, and officially began his professional career when he joined Charles Miller’s band in the early '60s. He moved to Chicago around 1965 and began working with saxophonist A.C. Reed before hooking up with Muddy Waters and his band in 1966. The Waters stint led to a fair amount of studio work, and Arnold played bass on several 1960s blues albums, including Otis Spann’s The Blues Is Where It’s At and John Lee Hooker’s Live at Cafe Au Go Go. By the 1980s Arnold had tired of the road and moved back to South Carolina, settling in his hometown of Pelzer, where for all practical purposes he retired from the music business. A group of local musicians kept after him to start performing again, though, which led to Arnold eventually fronting his own band, Mac Arnold & Plate Full o’ Blues.
The film is free to the public and will be shown at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, September 18th, at the Horry County Museum, located at 805 Main Street in Conway.
The Horry County Museum Documentary Film Matinees will continue throughout 2024. For a list of films, visit our website at www.horrycountymuseum.org. For more information, call the Horry County Museum at 843-915-5320 or e-mail hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov.

Join us Saturday, September 21st, for a free 30 minute activity at the Farm! Parents can sign children up for a half hour session between 9 AM-11 AM. Group sizes will be limited. In this session, we’ll talk about the importance of plants and use pressed flowers to create bookmarks.
For information about available times and to register, contact Marian Calder at 843-915-7861 or email calder.marian@horrycountysc.gov . Available sessions are 9, 9:30, 10 or 10:30, please specify which session you would like upon registering.
The L.W. Paul Living History Farm is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 AM-4 PM and is located at 2279 Harris Short Cut Road, Conway, SC 29526.

The 2024 Horry County Museum Documentary Film Series continues with Myrtle Beach Memories. This ETV film is a nostalgic look at the history of Myrtle Beach from 1900-1965. Told through interviews with local historians and business people, this film features topics ranging from the Ocean Forest Hotel, Hurricane Hazel, the Myrtle Beach Pavilion, and the Sun Fun Festival to motor inns, guest houses and beach music.
The film is free to the public and will be shown at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, September 25th, at the Horry County Museum, located at 805 Main Street in Conway.
The Horry County Museum Documentary Film Matinees will continue throughout 2024. For a list of films, visit our website at www.horrycountymuseum.org. For more information, call the Horry County Museum at 843-915-5320 or e-mail hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov.

Join us Saturday, September 28th, for a free 30 minute activity at the Farm! Parents can sign children up for a half hour session between 9 AM-11 AM. Group sizes will be limited. In this session, children will learn about Belemnites and other prehistoric animals that lived here. They’ll also make an imprint ‘fossil’ to take home.
For information about available times and to register, contact Marian Calder at 843-915-7861 or email calder.marian@horrycountysc.gov . Available sessions are 9, 9:30, 10 or 10:30, please specify which session you would like upon registering.
The L.W. Paul Living History Farm is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 AM-4 PM and is located at 2279 Harris Short Cut Road, Conway, SC 29526.

The 2024 Horry County Museum Documentary Film Series continues with Discovering Dave, Spirit Captured in Clay. Directed and produced by George Wingard and Mark Albertin and released through the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program and Scrapbook Video, this film tells the story of David Drake, a slave potter from Edgefield, South Carolina. David was one of the first African American slaves to sign many of his works, which included jars and pitchers. In addition to producing thousands of pieces of pottery, David also wrote poetry.

The film is free to the public and will be shown at 1:00 PM, Wednesday, October 2nd, at the Horry County Museum, located at 805 Main Street in Conway.

The Horry County Museum Documentary Film Matinees will continue throughout 2024. For a list of films, visit our website at www.horrycountymuseum.org. For more information, call the Horry County Museum at 843-915-5320 or e-mail hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov.

Join us Saturday, October 5th, for a free 30 minute activity at the Farm! Parents can sign children up for a half hour session between 9 AM-11 AM. Group sizes will be limited. Children will learn about indigo as a cash crop in South Carolina. They’ll also design and dye their own small bag to take home.
For information about available times and to register, contact Marian Calder at 843-915-7861 or email calder.marian@horrycountysc.gov . Available sessions are 9, 9:30, 10 or 10:30, please specify which session you would like upon registering.
The L.W. Paul Living History Farm is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 AM-4 PM and is located at 2279 Harris Short Cut Road, Conway, SC 29526.

The Horry County Museum presents a program on Lowcountry scandals by author Jason Ryan on Saturday, October 5th, at 1:00 PM. The Charleston author will discuss his book Jackpot, which chronicles the adventures and downfall of the “gentlemen” marijuana smugglers of South Carolina, as well as his recent book Swamp Kings, which details the history of the Murdaugh family of South Carolina and the crimes of disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh.
Jason Ryan is a nonfiction author living in Charleston, SC. He is a former reporter for The Beaufort Gazette and The State newspaper. His books include Jackpot: High Times, High Seas and the Sting that Launched the War on Drugs (2011), Hell-Bent: One Man’s Crusade to Crush the Hawaiian Mob (2014), Race to Hawaii: The 1927 Dole Derby and the Thrilling First Flights that Opened the Pacific (2018), and Swamp Kings: The Murdaugh Family of South Carolina and a Century of Backwoods Power (April 2024).
The program is free to the public and will be held in the Museum’s McCown Auditorium located at 805 Main Street, Conway, SC 29526. For more information, call 843-915-5320 or email hcg.museum@horrycountysc.gov. To view a full list of scheduled programs, visit the museum website at www.horrycountymuseum.org.