Confederation of South Carolina Local Historical Societies
The confederation exists to “strengthen and enrich local cultural, political, and economic institutions through the preservation and study of historical documents, sites, buildings, and artifacts, and to further this purpose through the dissemination and exchange of information and the exercise of cooperative endeavor.”
On April 4, 1964, representatives of fourteen historical societies met at Batesburg-Leesville and organized the Confederation of South Carolina Local Historical Societies. The Lexington County Historical Society sponsored the meeting, and Charles E. Lee, then director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, advocated its creation. The confederation exists to “strengthen and enrich local cultural, political, and economic institutions through the preservation and study of historical documents, sites, buildings, and artifacts, and to further this purpose through the dissemination and exchange of information and the exercise of cooperative endeavor.”
Members of the confederation include historical organizations, foundations, commissions, museums, archives, preservation groups, and patriotic societies. Since 1965 the confederation has sponsored an annual Landmark Conference to spotlight the local history of a particular area of South Carolina. It also offers a broad program of awards and serves as the official nominating body for the South Carolina Hall of Fame.
The confederation honors member organizations with Awards of Merit for publications, public programming, volunteerism, and public relations. The confederation also recognizes the best papers by high school juniors and seniors in South Carolina’s National History Day competition and presents the Margaret Watson History Award to the best college or university student paper on a South Carolina history topic. The confederation is the unified voice for local historical societies at the state, regional, and national levels. As of 2004 it had sixty-five member organizations.
