Florence County Museum

Second Sunday Tours – Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams
2026-01-11 14:15, 2026-03-08 14:15 - 15:00, 2026-04-12 14:15 - 15:00, 2026-05-10 14:15 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Join us for a free, docent-led tour of Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams in the museum’s Special Exhibit Gallery. Registration is required via the link below.
Cecil Williams (b. 1937) is a veteran photojournalist and native of Orangeburg SC, where he owns and operates the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum. Williams documented many significant stories and events during the civil rights era including the prosecution of Briggs v. Elliott (early 1950s) and the Orangeburg Massacre (1968). At age 14, Williams became the youngest contributing photographer to JET magazine.
This exhibition will feature a selection of Williams’ photographs along with interpretation for each; emphasizing Williams’ work while more broadly addressing the role of photography in Civil Rights. This will be the first exhibition of photography offered at Florence County Museum, as well as the first exhibition to emphasize civil rights to be presented in the Special Exhibit Gallery. Upcoming Sunday Tours:
02/08/26 –
03/08/26 –
04/12/26 –
05/10/26 –
06/14/25 -

Art After Hours - Tree Ring Prints
2026-01-15 17:00 - 18:30 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
What can natural history teach us, and how does it inspire us? Join Curator of Education Uschi Jeffcoat & artist Adrian Smith for this session that takes a closer look at tree rings and how to use them to create art. You will learn how to produce your own tree ring prints and take a print home with you. This Art After Hours is inspired by the Bald Cypress Subfossil found in the Pee Dee History Gallery.
Date:
Thursday, January 15, at 5:00 pm.
Class Size:
Adults 18 & older.
Limited to 18 participants.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on December 15, 2025, at 10 am.
Members get priority ticket access the week before starting on December 8, 2025. Only 6 early tickets are available.
Price:
$10/person for Not Yet Members.
Free for Museum Members.

Second Sunday Tours – Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams
2026-02-08 14:15 - 15:00 | SC

Family Day - Scandinavian Hearts
2026-02-14 13:00 - 15:00 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Join us on Saturday, 2/14, from 1pm to 3pm for Family Day – Scandinavian Hearts. Create your own woven artwork and learn more about creative couple William Henry Johnson and his wife, Scandinavian textile artist Holcha Krake this Valentine’s Day.
The event is free (no registration required).

Photography Workshop
2026-02-28 10:30 - 15:30 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
In this special one-day workshop, participants will explore the photographer’s exposure triangle and learn how you can manipulate it creatively. Deepen your knowledge of the science, technical, and creative elements found in the field of photography. Taught by Professor Julie Mixon, guests will have the opportunity to capture a portrait using a large-format camera similar to what Cecil Williams used and learn how to augment a camera’s shutter speed on a digital device to create light paintings.
This workshop is inspired by the photography seen in Unforgettable: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams. A one-hour lunch break will be provided. Guests may bring their own lunch or have lunch on their own.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Ages 15 & up
$75, all supplies provided
Membership discounts apply
Tickets go on sale to the general public December 29, 2025 at 10am.
Members get priority ticket access the week before starting December 22, 2025. Only 4 early tickets available.
10:30 am – 3:30 pm
Max class Size: 12
(Minimum of 6)

About the Instructor
Julie Mixon received her undergraduate degree from Barton College with a concentration in photography in 2000 and earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography from East Carolina University in 2004. She currently lives in Florence, South Carolina, where is a Professor of Photography at Francis Marion University. She exhibits her image-based media regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Family Day - Behind the Lens
2026-03-14 13:00 - 15:00 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Join us on Saturday, 3/14, from 1pm to 3pm for Family Day – Behind the Lens. Your child will learn how camera work and make a simple pinhole camera. We’ll observe how light travels and images are captured.
The event is free (no registration required).

Art After Hours - Watercolor Skies
2026-03-19 17:00 - 18:30 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Join Curator of Education Uschi Jeffcoat & artist Adrian Smith for this session that compares and contrasts watercolor hues used to capture different times of the day in this class. You’ll gain a better grasp of watercolor blending techniques and improve your landscapes.
Date:
Thursday, March 19th at 5:00 pm
Class Size:
Adults 18 & older.
Limited to 18 participants.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on February 19, 2025, at 10 am.
Members get priority ticket access the week before starting on February 12, 2025. Only 6 early tickets are available.
Price:
$10/person for Not Yet Members.
Free for Museum Members.

Family Day - Artifacts in Clay
2026-04-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Join us on Saturday, 4/11, from 1pm to 3pm for Family Day – Artifacts in Clay. Explore multiple artifacts created from clay in the Pee Dee History. Learn more about the individuals who made them and create your own in the classroom studio.
The event is free (no registration required).

Family Day - Shadows & Silhouettes
2026-05-09 13:00 - 15:00 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Join us on Saturday, 5/9, from 1pm to 3pm for Family Day – Shadows & Sihouettes. Watch and observe silhouettes created by light and shadow. Join us for Family Day and capture your own silhouette on paper.
The event is free (no registration required).

Art After Hours - Capturing Time
2026-05-21 17:00 - 18:30 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Create your own literary time piece and reflect on the biographies found in the Lasting Presence exhibit in the Pocket Gallery. Guests will use discarded books to create a clock to take home. This activity is inspired by watches in the museum’s collection created by Isaac Sulzbacher.
Florence jeweler and watchmaker Isaac Sulzbacher came to the United States from Germany in 1867. After working in Columbia, Sulzbacher spent time in Sumter, where he helped establish the town’s first Jewish temple. Sulzbacher moved to Florence in 1884 and opened a jewelry shop on Dargan Street.
Date:
Thursday, May 21, at 5:00 pm.
Size:
Adults. Limited to 12 participants.
Tickets go on sale to the general public March 21, 2026 at 10am.
Members get priority ticket access the week before starting March 14, 2026. Only 4 early tickets available.
Price:
$10/person for Not Yet Members.
Free for Museum Members.

Our Prehistoric Palmetto State
2026-06-06 14:00 - 15:15 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Join the FCM for a free, fossil workshop offering a fun & engaging glimpse into South Carolina’s extinct fauna. Our Prehistoric Palmetto State is an engaging presentation on the process of fossilization and the diverse animals present in South Carolina’s fossil record. Paleontologist Ashby Gale will construct explanations for why fossil deposits are located where they are, interpret past data from the fossil record to analyze historical climate patterns, and explore the driving mechanisms of fossilization processes. Throughout the presentation, he will share different fossils collected in the Lowcountry for the audience to get an up-close look at the Lowcountry’s prehistoric past! The presentation typically lasts an hour and 15 minutes, and guests may ask questions at the conclusion of the talk.
Guests may bring fossils and questions! For fossils, please limit to 10 finds per family to ensure the line doesn’t get too long. Mr. Gale will also have copies of the book he helped co-author, A Beachcomber’s Guide to Fossils, for sale ($29.95). Compiled from decades of visiting beaches along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, collecting fossils, and conducting extensive research, A Beachcomber’s Guide to Fossils is the definitive guide for amateur collectors and professionals interested in learning more about the deep history they tread on during their vacations. Authored by Bob, Pam, and Ashby Gale, this guide offers more than twelve hundred high-quality color photographs and detailed descriptions of more than three hundred fossil specimens found on beaches from Texas, east to Florida, and north to New Jersey.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on April 6, 2026, at 9 am.
Members get priority ticket access the week before starting on March 30, 2025. Only 20 early tickets are available.
The cost to attend is free, but registration is required via the link on this page.

Family Day - Pretty Pollinators
2026-06-13 13:00 - 15:00 | Florence County Museum, 111 West Cheves Street, Florence, SC 29501, Florence, SC, 29501, United States
Join us on Saturday, 6/13, from 1pm to 3pm for Family Day – Pretty Pollinators. What is a pollinator and why are they important? Learn more about pollination and plant your own pollinating flowers to take home!
The event is free (no registration required).
