After success at State Fair, SC250 considers how to show exhibit year-round

COLUMBIA — Nearly 250 years ago, 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence following its adoption in Philadelphia. Four were South Carolinians.

At the South Carolina State Fair this year, more than 10,000 people signed it.

The number of signatures on an enormous replica of the historic document underscored the popularity of an exhibit all about the Revolutionary War, said Molly Fortune, the executive director of the commission in charge of promoting South Carolina’s role in the country’s birth.

The exhibit was so successful, the SC250 Commission is considering ways to make it permanent, or at least keep it open a little longer, Fortune said.

For the past four years, the statewide agency and local commissions have hosted events across the state in preparation for next year’s 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Those events, which often take place at museums or historical sites, tend to attract history buffs, Fortune said.

Setting up an exhibit at the State Fair, which drew nearly 400,000 people this October, brought the nation’s story to a whole new demographic of people, Fortune said.

While walking through the exhibit, the most common refrain Fortune heard was, “I didn’t know,” she said.

People meant that about all sorts of facts.

Some didn’t realize the contributions Black and Native American people made during the war.

Others didn’t even realize next year is the 250th anniversary of the colonies declaring independence from Britain, which didn’t officially recognize the new nation until the 1783 Treaty of Paris.

“You can hear the wonder in their voice,” Fortune said.

Snacking on corndogs and fried Twinkies, fairgoers this year stepped into one of the fairground’s warehouses to find a representation of an 18th century South Carolina swamp. The sound of crickets chirped over the intercoms as visitors wound along a wooden walkway, reading plaques surrounded by foliage.

A fake log cabin and backdrop provided a background of photographs, including for visitors who wanted to put on a historic Overmountain Man uniform, with a linen shirt, a cap and a fox pelt. Reenactors gave dance lessons, period-accurate speeches, and demonstrations of how to write with a quill.

“It really did totally bring to life so many aspects,” said Diana Watson, spokesperson for SC250.

The commission didn’t expect the exhibit to become such a huge hit, Fortune said. She had to get the Declaration of Independence reprinted twice because it ran out of space for signatures during the State Fair’s 12-day run, she said.

The declaration was Fortune’s biggest concern going into the fair.

Adopted on July 4, 1776, the document explaining why the colonies rebelled says “all men are created equal” with the God-given rights of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The revolutionary concepts birthed a nation and inspired other revolts worldwide. But the authors at the Second Continental Congress fell far short of those promissory ideals in reality. They were referring to white men.

Fortune knew some people have complicated relationships with the founding document. So, when fairgoers told her, “It’s not for me,” she talked with them about what it means to recognize every part of history, even the ugliest.

One of the commission’s goals is to highlight the stories often forgotten in the history of the country’s founding. Displays showed the lives of Black and Native American soldiers, as well as women, during the war.

Alongside the stories of those often forgotten was a memorial to a widely known war figure: Gen. Francis Marion, often called the “Swamp Fox” for his guerilla tactics in South Carolina’s backcountry. Some of his correspondence, which the commission is working to compile and make available to the public, was on view for guests to read.

Other displays came from the commission’s grant-funded partners and fellow historical organizations, Fortune said.

Visitors to the SC250 State Fair exhibit could dress up as an overmountain man, sign the Declaration of Independence and learn period-specific skills from reenactors.The Ninety Six

National Historic Site lent the commission some of its displays while its museum undergoes renovations. The Lee County American Revolution committee contributed a traveling display about Black soldiers.

Fortune heard from teachers who said they’d like to use the displays in their classrooms. Fortune told them to come back after the fair ended, and they would work something out.

The exhibit, which cost between $150,000 and $200,000 in state taxpayer funds, is still intact on the state fairgrounds, Fortune said.

Once the commission figures out the logistics, teachers will be able to “go in there and go shopping,” she said.

How they’ll “check out” parts of the exhibit for their classrooms remains in the works.

Commissioners also are brainstorming ways to offer off-season tours of the exhibit for people who missed it during the fair or want to see it again, Fortune said.

“It was so well-received,” Fortune said. “We want to know that more people have the opportunity to see it, to see pieces of it.”

The fair’s organizers jumped at the chance for a second year of working with the commission, considering how much people enjoyed this year’s display, said Nancy Smith, general manager of the State Fair.

Most people associate the fair with carnival rides and fried foods, but education is an integral part of the mission of the nonprofit that runs the fair, Smith said.

“Folks came to the fair, they were able to experience the traditional part of the fair, but they were also introduced to something even greater this year,” Smith said.

Originally published at: https://scdailygazette.com/2025/11/24/after-success-at-state-fair-sc250-considers-how-to-show-exhibit-year-round/