camden archives and museum

The staff is very helpful and this place has tons of information if you want to research family history of our veterans from SC that fought in WWII which was my purpose.Plenty to see as well.

Lots to see here. There is a wonderful gun collection that once belonged to Melvin Purvis the notable FBI Agent. Also the collection of Mike Long was displayed. There are many other artifacts on display unrelated to weapons. Don't miss this on your visit to Camden, SC.

Stopped here first before checking out the historic sites in and around Camden. The docent was super helpful and friendly and provided me with maps for the Battle of Camden and surrounding areas. The museum in the back of the building which was filled with local history from pre-Eur settlement on. Extensive gun collection to view. I could also see that for the locals horse racing is a vital part of modern history for Camden and Kershaw County. I would recommend to anyone stopping in Camden for history to stop here first!

My husband especially liked the gun collection but they have other interesting things too. It is very small and they have rotating displays in one room. They have a section on steeplechase and fox hunting, which the area is also known for. A MUST - get the $5.00 booklet that tells you where all of the historic sites are and visit a few of them.

While visiting Camden, the Archives was recommended to us (we thought hummmm) along with several other local options. What a wonderrful surprise! We happened in when the gun expert was talking about some of the gun collection. Then another visitor who was escorting a group of school-aged children explained the clock and the King. We explored all of the exhibits and they were interesting, very well documented and expertly displayed (yes it is aiir conditioned). An hour+ later we decided to depart and the lady at the front desk talked to us about their research options. Do not miss this when you visit this area...love it and it is a wonderful history to share with friends and family.

This museum is itself located in an historic building that is excellently renovated / preserved. Its a nice little gem, quiet, immaculately clean, the displays are well-lit and generally (not all) well-labeled and -described. Although not the purpose of our visit, clearly has a very good local-history archive. The staff are friendly and were very helpful in helping us plan the rest of our tour of "old Camden". There are interesting artifacts of the Indians and a good description of the process of settlement by Europeans. The highlight, though, is - believe it or not - what is actually only a small portion of a recently donated collection of historical guns. All are in exquisite condition, there are several unique and/or nearly unique (e.g. one of two, etc.) pieces. The collection is eclectic in terms of period covered but there are few duds. A very good way to spend an hour or so. Arguably a "5" for local museums of its kind, but its small size keeps us to a four in fear of setting overly high expectations. And did I say "free"?

Very nice display of firearms from many periods, all the way back to the Lewis and Clark expedition. Outstanding display.

We planned a trip to Camden to especially visit this small Museum and Archives. It was totally amazing from the moment we entered the building. Our purpose was to visit the Beard Gun Collection, which we did, but the real treat was actually meeting and talking to Mr. Beard, the owner of this gun collection. He was able to bring the stories alive as he told them with such accuracy and details. He literally brought history to life. Thank you, Mr. Beard and Camden Archives and Museum.

I have visited several times researching family records and the Archives are very well organized and easy to locate. The staff is very helpful as well. The museum has at present a display on American firearms including John Dillinger's gun and headlines about famous outlaws. There is a display on the history of horse racing in Camden as well as Camden history.