Horry County Museum (Conway)

The Horry County Museum is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Southern history, culture, and heritage. Established in 1979, the Museum focuses on the natural history and heritage of Horry County, South Carolina and teaching the public through exhibits, events, and outreach programs.

In 2009, the Museum added and opened the L.W. Paul Living History Farm which is a recreation of a one-horse family farm between the years of 1900 and 1955, where visitors can experience and observe what daily life looked like in a farm community during that time. They also offer quarterly events at the Farm for visitors. In 2014, the renovated 1905 Burroughs School became the new home of the Horry County Museum that allowed the addition and increased sizes of exhibits, as well as a 600-seat auditorium. The Burroughs School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The move to the Burroughs School also allowed for the addition of a freshwater aquarium that was even featured on Animal Planet’s reality show “Tanked.” The aquarium is unique and custom-made to detail aquatic life for local lakes and rivers in Horry County. The majority of the Museum’s collections are located on its main campus which possesses a highly-acclaimed photographic collection in addition to historical artifacts that documents Horry County’s history and culture.

The Horry County Museum also offers free field trips to local schools and education groups to give students the opportunity to engage in curriculum-based and hands-on learning focused on the history and culture of Horry County. Exhibits include the aquarium, old tools, photographs, miniatures of industries such as turpentine and tar, as well as household items, clothing, farming tools and implements, and wildlife specimens.

Memberships are also offered with the Museum for all locals and history lovers alike.