GALLOP THROUGH CAMDEN’S HISTORY
OVERVIEW
Camden, South Carolina is so rich in history and cultural activities that you will want to “get a gallop
on” to experience as much as possible during this year’s festival.
Background:
Camden is the oldest inland city and fourth oldest city in South Carolina (after Beaufort, Charleston and Georgetown).
Near the center of the Cofitachequi chiefdom that existed in the 1500s, Camden became part of a township plan ordered
by King George II in 1730. In 1758, Joseph Kershaw, from Yorkshire, England came into the township from Charleston,
established a store and back-country settlement that became the main inland trade center in the colony. The town was
renamed Camden, in honor of Lord Camden, the champion of colonial rights.
After Charleston fell under the Crown’s control in 1780, General Lord Cornwallis and 2,500 of his Loyalist and British
troops marched to Camden and established the main British supply post for the Southern campaign. The Battle of Camden
was fought on August 16, 1780 near Camden, and on April 25, 1781 the Battle of Hobkirk’s Hill was fought between about
1,400 troops led by General Nathanael Greene and 950 Loyalists and British soldiers led by Francis, Lord Rawdon.
After the Revolution, Camden's prominence and wealth grew as a major interior trading town with direct ties to
Charleston and the world. Regional products, augmented with goods from the interior of North Carolina and far lands to
the west were transported from Camden to Charleston on flat-bottom riverboats that plied the adjacent Wateree River
before the railroad arrived in 1842.
During the Civil War, Camden sent six generals who contributed significantly. Hero of the American Civil War Richard
Rowland Kirkland - 'The Angel of Marye's Heights' - is interred in the Old Quaker Burying Ground in Camden’s “Colonial
District”. Components of Sherman's army burned Confederate and nearby properties including a full block of downtown
buildings, and the last Federal officer killed in the Civil War died in a skirmish near Camden.
A New Era - The Horsey Set
In the mid-1880s Camden became an increasingly popular destination for wealthy northern families to spend the winter.
Eventually three resort hotels provided state of the art winter tourism activities well into the 1930s and beyond. The town
became associated with many equestrian activities, and is now the home of the third oldest active polo field in America,
and is well recognized as the “Steeplechase Capital of the World.”
Today, more than 1,500 thoroughbreds call the area home, with equine-related activities comprising a primary component
of the regional economy. Major equine events include The Carolina Cup in the spring. The "Cup" attracts more than
65,000 race goers annually and is the state’s premier social sporting event. Springdale Race Course is also home, since
1970, to the Marion duPont Scott Colonial Cup held in the fall.
Because of its long history and many years of wealthy winter visitors and deep-pocket northern owners, Camden has an
enviable inventory of antebellum homes and charm that remains unique among South Carolina towns and elsewhere. This
includes Holly Hedge, owned by Marion duPont Scott from 1944 until her death in 1983.
Registration information is below, followed by general agenda of weekend festivities.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Early Registration Encouraged
Basic Festival Registration
$35 x (____) tickets = $______________
Includes Classically Carolina Welcome Tote with
Event Brochure, Maps, Coupons; Continental Breakfasts
on Thursday and Friday; Thursday Seminars and Lunch;
Saturday Bloomsbury Cooking Demonstration (space limited);
And fees waived on select local activities.
Friday Bus Tour & Lunch at Boykin Millpond
$35 x (____) tickets = $______________
Friday Wine & Cheese Reception at Holly Hedge* $40 x (____) tickets = $______________
TOTAL $ ______________
To register and pay by credit card call
The National Steeplechase Museum at 803-432-6513.
Or
Return this form with your check payable to ‘2015 Humanities Festival’ and mail to:
2015 Humanities Festival
c/o National Steeplechase Museum
P. O. Box 2424
Camden, SC 29021
NAME _______________________________________________________________________
MAILING ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________
CITY, STATE, ZIP _______________________________________________________________
DAY PHONE ________________ EMAIL ADDRESS _____________________________________
2015 Humanities Festival Schedule of Events
THURSDAY, APRIL 30
9:00 am – 9:45 am
Registration (pick up Festival tickets) and Continental Breakfast
Robert Mills Court House, 607 Broad Street, Camden
- Breakfast included in Basic Registration
10:00 am – Noon
Grant Writing Seminar for Non-profits
Dr. Randy L. Akers, Executive Director, The Humanities CouncilSC
Robert Mills Court House, 607 Broad Street
- Included in Basic Registration. Please register early
Noon – 1:00 pm
Lunch for Seminar Participants
Robert Mills Court House, 607 Broad Street
Included with Basic Registration.
Must be pre-registered for morning and/or afternoon seminar.
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Public Speaking for Non-Profit Executives
Presented by Buckley School of Public Speaking/ Jana Daley
Robert Mills Court House, 607 Broad Street
Included in Basic Registration. Please register early
1:00 pm – 5 pm
History of Kershaw County Talk & Book Signing
Presented by authors Joan and Glen Inabinet
Kershaw County Historical Society Headquarters
The Bonds Conway House, 811 Fair Street
FREE
4:00 pm 7:00 pm
Stroll and Browse in Camden’s historic Downtown District
- Uncover treasures in Camden’s antique shops, museums and
galleries
- Dine in upscale and down-home Southern eateries
- Check Festival Registration packet for maps, coupons, merchant
information, and other events.
FRIDAY, MAY 1
8:00 am – 9:45 am
Registration, pick up tickets and Continental Breakfast
at The National Steeplechase Museum, 200 Knights Hill Road
- Overlooking Springdale Race Course, watch a morning
training session with Kip Elser, former steeplechase
jockey and owner of Kirkwood Stables
- Breakfast included in Basic Registration
10:00am – 4:00 pm
National Steeplechase Museum & Gift Shop
200 Knights Hill Rd, Camden
- Visit the only museum in the United States dedicated
to telling the story of steeple chasing through film,
photography, memorabilia, and interactive exhibits
- FREE
10:00 am – 4: pm
Guided Bus Tour of Horse Country & Historic Districts
– TICKETED EVENT. Please register early
– Departs from the National Steeplechase Museum with
stops at: *Camden Training Center * Fox Hunting & Riding
Trails * Private Horse Barns * SC Equine Park * Swift Creek
Church * Old Quaker Burying Ground * Beth El Cemetery *
Cedar Cemetery * Bethesda Presbyterian Church*Historic
Homes
NOON - Bus Tour includes Lunch on the Mill Pond
Historic Boykin, SC
5:00pm – 7:00 pm
Wine & Cheese Reception at historic Holly Hedge
302 Greene Street
Hosted by home owners Mr. and Mrs. Ben Schreiner and
Camden Mayor Tony Scully, featuring Camden’s famous
Aberdeen Catery
- TICKETED EVENT.
Early registration encouraged.
- Camden: Classically Carolina® musical performance
SATURDAY, MAY 2
7:30am – 5:00pm
Nationwide Celebration of Books and Independent Bookstores
Books on Broad, 944 Broad Street
8:00 am – Noon
Kershaw County Farmers Market
Revolutionary War Park, 222 Broad Street
- THE Saturday morning gathering place with local produce,
artisans, Farm-to-Table festivities, live entertainment, demonstrations and more.
- FREE
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Camden Archives & Museum100th Anniversary of Camden’s Carnegie Library, 1314 Broad Street
 “The Best Gun Collection in the South”. Visit with collector
Ross Beard
 The Little Brown Dog: The Boykin Spaniel Story. Let South
Carolina’s State Dog be your guide for a special tour.
 Reconciliation Sculpture Garden and conversation with
sculptress Maria Kirby-Smith regarding sculptures of
- Baseball Hall of Famer, Larry Doby and Camden native,
financier and philanthropist, Bernard Baruch
- FREE
10:30 am – Noon & 1:30 pm 3:00 pm
Tours the Revolutionary War Park, 222 Broad Street
- Admission fees waived for Festival ticket holders
Tours of
 Cornwallis House
 McCaa’s Tavern
 Museum & Gift Shop
 Film Documentary
2:30 – 4:00
Meet the Author Davie Beard- Postcards of Kershaw County
He will discuss his extraordinary collection of photos and postcards
Published by Arcadia.
McCaa’s Tavern, Revolutionary War Park, 222 Broad Street
3:00 pm - 4:30pm
“The Way It Was” in the Old Kitchen House
Bloomsbury Inn Bed & Breakfast, 1707 Lyttleton Street
- Features Bloomsbury owner, Katherine Brown
- Cooking demonstration from the era of Mary Boykin Chesnut.
- Included in Basic registration, however space is limited.
- Shuttle to Bloomsbury from Camden Archives & Museum,
1314 Broad Street
7:30 - 5:00pm
Nationwide Celebration of Books and Independent Bookstores
Books on Broad, 944 Broad Street
- Readings, book signings and conversation; times to be announced
- Tom Poland – 10 am – Noon; Southern author and magazine contributor will be on hand to sign his books
- Robert Arial – 2 pm – 4 pm; Camden’s own award-winning editorial cartoonist – speaks about his art and career
- Kathryn Lovett – 4 – 5 pm; Meet our local poet, author and literary award-winner.
FREE
5:00 pm – 7:00
Derby Party at Salud’s
- Who will win this year’s Kentucky Derby? Catch the thrill live
by joining locals view the race on the big screen
Salud’s @ TenEleven Galleria, 1011 Broad Street
- Light complimentary fare with cash bar.
SUNDAY, MAY 3
Sunday Morning Worship Services
– Visitors welcome at over 200 churches in Kershaw County
– Church Directory included in Festival Packet
3:00 pm
Spring Concert at Rectory Square
- Featuring the Camden Community Concert Band
– FREE.
– Bring your own chair or blanket. (In case of rain, the concert will be held at
Wood Auditorium, Fine Arts Center, 810 Lyttleton Street.
The 2015 Humanities Festival is dedicated to the memory of Camden resident and philanthropist,
John Stringer Rainey
“Episcopalian by choice, American by birth, and a Southerner by the grace of God.”
SEE NEXT PAGE FOR DETAILS ON CARRIAGE RIDES THROUGH
CAMDEN
FESTIVAL SPECIAL
CAMDEN CARRIAGE COMPANY TOURS
Let Camden Carriage Company take you on a tour past elegant antebellum homes, tree-lined neighborhoods and historic
parks. You will drive past the oldest structure in Camden; learn about courting benches, floating porches, the historic Fire
House, double staircases. Experience our local charm at a different pace.
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All carriage rides begin and end at the Camden Archives & Museum, 1314 Broad Street
Group rate tours for the 2015 Humanities Festival are as follows:
*Thursday at 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 pm
*Friday at 10:00 and 11:00 am, and 12:00 noon
*Saturday at 10:00 and 11:00 am and 12:00 noon
Pre-register carriage tour rate is $25.00 per person (Book early. Seats go fast.)
On-site registration at the Humanities Festival is $30.00 per person (as available).
Carriage tours through Camden’s Historic Districts are available Thursday evening, Friday and Saturday during the
Festival BY APPOINTMENT.
Book directly by calling Camden Carriage Company at 803-425-5737 or pre-register via our website,
www.camdencarriage.com. Look for the Button on the Home Page created specifically for the 2015 Humanities
Festival. Book early as seats go fast.
Camden Carriage Company is also available throughout your stay in Camden for private and/or extended tours
through other parts of Historic or Downtown Camden.