Jerry Kirkland was born to become director of Cayce Historical Museum. It’s in his blood.

Kirkland is a direct descendant of Moses Kirkland of Orangeburg District (not to be confused with another Moses Kirkland from the Old 96 District.)

The Kirkland family was one of the first to live in Saxe Gotha.

His long-standing family ties make him a part of the history he interprets for museum visitors.

Kirkland recently made an eye-opening discovery while framing a detailed map of Saxe Gotha.

“I was stunned to find, in the center of the map, property owned by my fifth grandfather, Moses Kirkland,” Jerry Kirkland said.

That discovery led to another.

Part of the 100-acre property owned by Moses Kirkland originally was used in the development of Congaree Fort.

You can visit the site of the 1748 fort on one of the 12,000-year history park tours.

Kirkland also found the name of ancestor William Kirkland inscribed in an important ledger book kept by the proprietor of 18th century-Congaree Trading Post.

The ledger is on exhibit at the museum in a display box Kirkland made for Cayce Historical Museum years prior to discovering his ancestor’s name.

It’s the oldest known ledger of the trading post and lists those who frequented the business there over a period of several years.

“That trading post, which operated from before to after the Revolutionary War, was central to commerce in this area,” Kirkland said.

South Carolina Department of Archives & History digitized the book and placed it online. Cayce Historical Museum has a hard copy.

In confirming Jerry Kirkland as director of the Cayce Historical Museum, the museum commission drew upon some of the area’s most enduring genealogy.

The museum is open Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 2-5 p.m. at the Cayce Municipal Complex, 1800 12th Street, 29033. Admission is free on Sundays.

About the Museum

The City of Cayce is rich in history. The Cayce Historical Museum was established to share this history with you.

The exhibits chronicle the history of the first European settlements in the midlands area of South Carolina, beginning in the early 1700s.

The museum interprets the agricultural, social, and cultural heritage of the Cayce, Old Saxe Gotha, Granby, and West Columbia areas.

Exhibits emphasize periods of colonial trade, agricultural development, and transportation from the 18th century through the present time. The museum also features Native American artifacts from the area dating back thousands of years.

Museum Facility

The main building in the Cayce Historical Museum complex is a replica of a trading post, which was built in the Cayce area in 1765.

That trading post was seized by the British during the American Revolution and used as a fort.

In 1817, the building was purchased by the Cayce family who used it as a private residence for nearly 100 years.

“Uncle Billy” Cayce, as he was affectionately known, ran a general store near the railroad tracks in an area then known as Cayce Crossing. When citizens decided to incorporate the town in 1914, it was named for the Cayce family.