McKissick Museum/Visitor Center
McKissick sits at the top of South Carolina’s historic Horseshoe. Originally a library, it now holds a museum specializing in Southern folk art. The Visitor Center offers walking tours led by students, called University Ambassadors, who will help you get the most out of your campus visit.
Media Gallery
Historic Markers on the Horseshoe
McKissick Museum (1940)
📜 Historic Markers on the Horseshoe
As you walk around the Horseshoe, you'll see several plaques devoted to various aspects of history. One of the most important markers you'll see is titled "Slavery and the South Carolina College". It reads:
The Horseshoe, the original campus of the University of South Carolina (established in 1801 as the South Carolina College) , still appeared much as it did in the mid-1800s. Its buildings and historic wall were substantially constructed by slave labor and built of slave-made brick. Enslaved workers were essential to the daily operations of the college, whether they were owned by faculty or the college itself, or hired from private citizens. Enslaved individuals lived in outbuildings, one of which still stands behind what is now the President's House. The University of South Carolina recognizes the vital contributions made by enslaved people.
📜 McKissick Museum (1940)
Old Campus building, became current Horseshoe building after 1940 demolition of the Original President's House
Architect: Henry C. Hibbs
Constructed just behind the original President’s House, McKissick is the only twentieth-century building on the Horseshoe, replacing the South Caroliniana Library building as the new main library in 1940. The building was rededicated as a museum in 1984.
The building is named for James Rion McKissick (1894-1944), one of Carolina’s most beloved presidents, who lay in repose in the building after his sudden death in 1944. The building was named for him shortly thereafter. The student body petitioned the board of trustees to allow McKissick to be buried on campus. His grave is in front of the west wing of the South Caroliniana Library.