The Fountain Inn Museum has renovated a new gallery space and will launch an new exhibit on Thursday, August 20. The Making of a Small Town exhibit will feature photographs and descriptions of the people and the efforts that created the town of Fountain Inn. SC Humanities helped support this exhibit with a Major Grant.
Using a collection of photographs taken between 1857 and 1935, the Fountain Inn Museum will create The Making of a Small Town exhibit to share about the history of the Upstate. Photographs feature families, schools, activities, early churches, sports, and businesses, among other subjects.
Museum Associate and Project Director Kenzie Galloway said, “Fountain Inn was recently cited as the second fastest-growing town in South Carolina. This new and diverse population will derive special benefits from historical photography and description. […] The display will give the public a greater understanding, not only of the narrative surrounding our museum, but also the rich history of our town.”
The grand opening of the exhibit will take place at 6:00 p.m. on August 20th. Video narratives will be on display that give a deeper insight into some of the featured photographs. Social distancing while in the museum will be encouraged.
Established in 2007, the Fountain Inn Museum is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving the history, heritage, and culture of small town Upcountry South Carolina. Their mission is to serve the community and to provide educational opportunities to visitors. With this in mind, they pay special attention to the development of Fountain Inn and Greenville and Laurens Counties and seek to find innovative ways to share insights from the past. The Fountain Inn Museum is located at 102 Depot Street, Fountain Inn, SC 29644.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.
Image: 1920s Band in Fountain Inn, courtesy of the Fountain Inn Museum
