This online directory is the product of information gathering originally conducted from mid-2006 through the fall of 2008 with the support of a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the National Archives. It updates and supersedes an earlier version available online since 2000.

This directory contains information on South Carolina institutions and organizations that hold significant amounts of primary source material documenting South Carolina history (e.g., letters, diaries, photographs, business and government records). Not listed are repositories whose holdings are mostly books and periodicals.

Thanks go to the many repositories that provided information on their holdings and operations for this updated online directory. Though constituting most of South Carolina’s historical records repositories, the 100 historical societies, museums, government offices, public libraries, colleges and universities, and other kinds of repositories listed here do not constitute a complete accounting of all repositories in the Palmetto State. A few have not responded to queries for directory information and, doubtless, there are others that we did not know about.

As a remedy for those repositories not listed here, the SC SHRAB provides a Word form for completion and submission. (Please keep in mind that to be included in the online directory, an institution or organization must house and make available to the public for research primary source material.) Click here for a copy of the form.

• To correct and/or add information to existing entries contact the Webmaster.

• To see a list of repositories in the Directory, please follow this link

• To search repositories by subject area, please follow this link

• You can click on the counties in the map or the list below to see detailed information about the repositories -- counties not on the list have no repositories listed at this time. 

 Abbeville || Aiken || Anderson ||
 Bamberg || Beaufort || Berkeley ||
 Calhoun || Charleston || Cherokee || Chester || Clarendon ||
 Darlington || Dorchester || Edgefield || Florence ||
 Georgetown || Greenville || Greenwood || Hampton || Horry
 Kershaw ||  Lancaster || Laurens ||
 Marion || McCormick || Newberry ||
 Orangeburg || Pickens || Richland ||
 Spartanburg || Sumter || York

The directory is in Adobe Acrobat.   If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you must download it before viewing the file. There is no charge for the program. If you have questions or comments about the Acrobat file, please contact the webmaster.