Historic residence transformed into a museum exploring the political, social, and cultural shifts during the post-Civil War Reconstruction period.
General Information
Garden Hours: Monday to Saturday: 10am to 4pm; Sunday: 1pm to 4pm
Seniors and military: $8
Youth (6–12): $5
Children under 6 and Historic Columbia members: Free
How to Get There
Take Gervais Street eastbound, turn left onto Pickens Street, then right onto Hampton Street; the museum is on the left.
Overview
The Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home is the only museum in the United States dedicated to interpreting the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. Housed in a restored 1871 Italian villa-style residence once home to a young Woodrow Wilson, the museum offers a nuanced look at the transformative years between 1865 and 1877. Through immersive exhibits, guided tours, and interactive displays, visitors explore how newly emancipated African Americans and other residents of Columbia navigated the shifting political and social landscape of the time.
Operated by Historic Columbia, the museum highlights key figures such as Richard Greener, the first Black faculty member at the University of South Carolina, and Charles M. Wilder, one of the first African American postmasters. The surrounding gardens, inspired by Victorian landscape design, add to the site's historical ambiance. With its focus on education and dialogue, the museum serves as a vital resource for understanding one of the most misunderstood periods in American history.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official tourism pages for the Museum of the Reconstruction Era, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
