Community Day Event sponsored by Historic Charleston Foundation

Event Details

On Nov. 3, the Foundation will celebrate its
milestone 65-year commitment to Charleston by providing free admission to its museum houses and several free activities
with prizes, to include:

• Tours of the Aiken-Rhett House Museum (48 Elizabeth St.) and the Nathaniel Russell House Museum (51 Meeting St.), open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. with admission waived all day.

• Prizes for joining the Friends program, guests will be entered to win a prize when they sign up to become a Friend of Historic Charleston Foundation. Join Friends during 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at any site to be entered to win.

• Featured items at The Shops of Historic Charleston Foundation (108 Meeting St.) with special discounts on Charleston-made and Charleston-inspired products. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Tours of the Foundation’s Headquarters, the Captain James Missroon House (40 East Bay St.), which is not otherwise open to the public. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• A Foundation Information Fair in the garden of the Nathaniel Russell House Museum where staff will be on hand to share the interworkings and departmental roles of Historic Charleston Foundation. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Graphic displays at each location will demonstrate how the Foundation has contributed to the future of Charleston. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Prizes for stamped “passports.” Guests will receive a stamp at each Historic Charleston Foundation property visited and will be entered to win a prize from the Foundation’s shops. Visitors will receive their “passports” at The Shops of Historic Charleston Foundation (108 Meeting St.) where each group or family will also be given a
free goodie bag. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Hands-on demonstrations, under the allée of magnolias at the Aiken-Rhett House Museum, will reveal techniques in preservation and conservation. Examples of hands-on demonstrations offered include how antique wood working tools are used, how heavily deteriorated historic wood windows can be restored rather than replaced, and plastering techniques. Children will learn about the science behind archaeology as they explore a small “dig” in the rear-yard. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• A temporary exhibit, titled “The Art of Building: Historic Tools from the Collection of Edgewood Builders” at the Aiken-Rhett House Museum. This exhibit of 18th and 19th century tools includes axes, molding planes,
measuring devices and early drills from Europe and America and will be open at the museum through Nov. 4.