Founded in 1896, the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is the oldest museum in the Columbia area. The museum focuses on South Carolina military history from the Revolutionary War to the present.

A nationally recognized Civil War flag collection, a significant South Carolina uniform collection, and a growing weapons collection are complemented by a historical archives collection and a 19th and 20th century textile collection, allowing the museum to interpret the political and social influences on South Carolina's military history.

In September 2002, the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum moved to a renovated 17,000 square foot area of the old Columbia Mills Building, near the State Museum. The martial tradition of South Carolina is a theme running throughout the new exhibit and highlights the state's unique but influential role in the history of our nation. Some artifacts on exhibit are:

• Flag of the Palmetto Regiment, the famed SC volunteer militia that helped capture Mexico City in 1848;
• "Wade Hampton for Governor" banner from the gubernatorial campaign from 1876 at the end of Reconstruction;
• General Judson Kilpatrick letter calling SC the "hellhole of secession," and vowing to wreak havoc as Sherman's cavalry commander;
• Battle Flags of 9 of South Carolina's Regiments on Display;
• Flag of the Union 2nd SC Infantry composed of freed South Carolina slaves;
• Brigadier General Micah Jenkins' Confederate frock coat worn when he was killed in 1864 at the Battle of the Wilderness;
• Artifacts from the USS COLUMBIA , a World War II light cruiser named after the city of Columbia that fought in the Pacific Theater.

The museum, an agency of the South Carolina Budget and Control Board, is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Only 11 of approximately 200 museums and historic sites in South Carolina have earned this distinction and just 750 museums out of 16,000 nationally are accredited.

For more information about the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, please visit the museum website at www.crr.sc.gov.