The history of Laurens County is portrayed through the museum’s various exhibits.
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- Antique farm implements describe Laurens County’s agricultural heritage. From a hand-cranked cider mill to plows, single trees and double trees, a mule collar and a cotton scale, many different tools are represented.
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- Laurens Glass Works was organized in 1910 by local businessmen who knew nothing about the manufacture of glass but were willing to risk their time and money to provide much needed employment for the community. Bottles were made by the hand-blown method under the direction of experienced glassblowers who were brought to Laurens from the north. The Glass Plant was the first company licensed to manufacture Coca-Cola bottles; however, beer and whiskey bottles were never made at the plant, in accordance with company policy.
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- Do you ladies remember the days of the “hot wave”? If not, you will be surprised to see what women of past generations endured for a hint of glamour. Do you know why it was called a “Beauty Parlor”? Visit the museum's 1930’s Salon to get the answers.
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- Located on the Enoree River in Laurens County, the Lanford area had a unique clay ideal for making pottery. Joe “Jug” Johnson and his brother, Harvey, came to Lanford from North Carolina in 1878 and made stoneware there until 1933. They sold their utilitarian pieces throughout the county providing households with jugs, jars, churns, and even poultry fountains.
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- The Sheriff’s Office showcases law enforcement artifacts as well as memorializing those who have fallen in the line of duty. The home of the sheriff and his family was located in the County Jail until 1966. Sheriff Eugene Johnson was the last Laurens County sheriff to live there.
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- Military exhibits honor a long legacy of service by Laurens County residents. Displays include a complete roster of confederate soldiers from the area, dress and combat uniforms from WW1, ration books and personal letters from WW11, a plaque listing the names of MIA's from the Korean War, and a portable communion set used by a Chaplain Copeland Whitmire in Vietnam.
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- Organized and maintained by the Rosemont Preservation Society, the Rosemont Room is dedicated to “Laurens County’s own Ann Pamela Cunningham who pioneered the preservation of historic sites in America with her movement to preserve Mount Vernon, the ancestral home of our first President, George Washington, located on the Potomac River in Virginia.” (Rosemont Preservation Society.)
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- From the late 1800's well into the 20th century, textile mills shaped the ‘New South’. Laurens County’s five (5) Mill Villages were thriving communities with their own schools, stores, and post offices. The museum's collection of memorabilia from these mills brings back the humming of spindles and the thrashing of looms.
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Clinton Cotton Mills, Clinton SC
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Lydia Cotton Mills, Clinton SC
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- One room at the museum is designated to Rotating Exhibits. LCMA has proudly opened a new exhibit in this room. HOW WE MADE THINGS - TOOLS FROM THE PAST showcases vintage hand tools collected and displayed by Laurens County native Dwight Martin. The exhibit consists of more than fifty pieces acquired over the last fourteen years. It will be on view for a limited time.
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Other museum exhibits include a fully stocked vintage country store, an array of Native American artifacts, educational memorabilia from Laurens County Schools, and items of interest from area churches and former businesses. The Laurens County Museum is an ongoing project with exhibits being changed periodically.
Copyright © 2010 Laurens County Museum Association. All rights reserved.
