Fort Mill History Museum opens on Clebourne Street

Once again, the group charged with preserving Fort Mill history is making its own new chapter.

The Fort Mill History Museum officially opened with a ribbon cutting Wednesday at 107 Clebourne St. The new location is a National Registry of Historic Places site, and the third home for the history museum that opened temporarily on Main Street before opening on White Street in 2012.

“We’re in a new house in a new location,” said museum board Chairman Rick Dammann, “but our mission remains the same.”

That mission now includes educating students in the Fort Mill School District, promoting History Day events, bringing in authors and a variety of history-related projects. The new site, one of Fort Mill’s oldest, is about 2,100 square feet and includes a gift shop, research library and exhibit space.

The Clebourne home is the first facility owned by the museum.

“It’ll be our focal point, but we really want to focus on our outreach programs,” Dammann said.

Rufus “Rudy” Sanders, past chairman of the museum board, celebrated the latest ribbon cutting as he did the previous two – he thanked volunteers and others who helped the museum get this far, and thought about new ways the group can meet its goals.

“We’re here to preserve the history and display it for the present and future generations,” Sanders said.

Museum leaders say the facility is not just for long-time Fort Mill residents. As the town grows, they said, so does interest from new people wanting to connect with their own new homes.

“They have a thirst and a hunger for our history, and we have a responsibility to make sure that history is available,” Sanders said.

Volunteers go into local schools, presenting to more than 900 third-graders each year. Many volunteers are retired teachers who match up town historical information with current social studies standards. Ann Evans, historian with the museum, believes residents young and old need to have an understanding of the area and its past.

“They might be on their way to Hardee’s but they pass Confederate Park, and they need to know what that is,” she said.

The Clebourne Street address is known locally as the Wilson House or Hull House. It was built in 1869 and moved to its current spot in the 1920s to allow for the expansion of Main Street. The house will host small events, and bring the John And Mary Sanders Research Library and J.B. Mills Gift Shop over from the past location. For more on the museum, go to fmhm.org.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Fort Mill History Museum opens on Clebourne Street."