The Fairfield County Museum is housed in an elegantly simple Federal style house built for Richard Cathcart in the early 19th century. A three-story brick structure, the house retains its original heart pine floors and hand-carved woodwork.

In 1852, artist George Ladd and his wife Catherine acquired the building to operate a girls' school. Enrollment reached 100 young ladies before the school was forced to close by the War Between the States.

Priscilla Ketchin and her family made their home here from the l870's until Mrs. Ketchin's death in 1911.

Subsequently, the building became rental property, a public school, a hotel and a boarding house In 1969, the property was deeded to Fairfield County to be restored. Restoration was completed in 1974 under the auspices of the Fairfield County Historical Commission and Fairfield County Historical Society, using government and private funds. The landmark Cathcart - Ketchin building. opened its doors on March 15, 1976, as the Fairfield County Museum.

The ground floor of the rooms is set up as a historical house museum with furnishings donated by Fairfield families. There are standing exhibits located on the second floor, as well as a genealogy research facility. Traditional events at the museum include a yearly Fairfield County Historical Society event and the Candlelight Open House in December. Special exhibitions fill out the museum calendar each year.

The Mission of the Museum is four fold:

To stimulate interest in the role of Fairfield County in the development of South Carolina and the nation To preserve the history of the county through the collection of significant artifacts and interpretation of the personal stories of its citizens.

To identify and document historic properties and sites within the county.

To educate citizens and visitors about the heritage of Fairfield County.

FAIRFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Established in 1949, the Historical Society is responsible to collect, catalog, preserve & display artifacts pertaining to the history and heritage of the county. Housed in the Museum since 1974., the Society’s collection includes over 4,000 items including antique furnishings, 19th Century clothing and quilts, Victorian accessories, toys, Indian artifacts, tools, kitchen and sewing implements, farming and commerce displays and items dedicated to Fairfield’s military history.

PROGRAMS AND EXHBITS

The mission of the museum is not only to serve as a repository of the county's rich heritage, but also as an active resource for the education and cultural enrichment of our county's citizens, both young and old, representing our diverse cultural backgrounds.

As with all small establishments, there is always room for needed volunteers. The Museum has several on-going archaeological weekend projects. Some recent ones have been archaeological scouting to find Revolutionary battle sites for National Park Service surveys, the identification of a section of the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road that had been forgotten by time in dense forest cover, the discovery of an eighteenth century riverboat canal, and the locating and documenting of old graveyards.

Other ongoing projects are the moving and reconstruction of an eighteenth century log barn in the museum’s backyard, the reenactment of a local Revolutionary battle, the involvement of school children in learning about history, and an expansive oral history project. In the museum, volunteers are needed to help with exhibit receptions, office work, collections, and research.

The museum hosted the Smithsonian exhibit “New Harmonies” in April - June 2012.

The Museum and the Historical Society annually host a Christmas open House in early December.

Fairfield County Genealogical Society

Located on the second floor of the museum, researchers can find genealogy records for Fairfield County families and those that have passed through over the centuries. It is necessary to call or write before coming to do research to ensure that an assistant will be available. The volunteer genealogy staff receive requests for information at email address: [email protected] or at Fairfield County Genealogy, PO Box 6, Winnsboro, SC 29180. There is a small fee for copying and research. Open the same hours as the museum. Web site: fairfield.scgen.org

Some books of Interest that are also for sale:

Cemetery Books - listing of persons buried in local cemeteries. Copies available at the Museum. History of Fairfield County SC, by Hugh McMaster. Currently in print. Copies available at the Museum A Fairfield Sketchbook Julian S. Bolick, Currently in print. Available at the Museum Pictorial History of Fairfield County. Crosby Rice. Currently in print. Available at Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce.

Through the Years in Old Winnsboro by Kate Obear. Currently in print. Available at the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce.

History of St. John’s Episcopal Church 1839-1989 by Sharon Goff Avery. Currently in print. Available at Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce.

The Fairfield County Museum
231 S. Congress St.
PO Box 6
Winnsboro, SC 29180

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 10AM-5PM
Saturday 10AM - 2PM
Closed for lunch 12:30PM - 1:30PM
Closed Sunday
FREE ADMISSION

Genealogy Room : Research assistance available Mon - Friday 10 AM - 5 PM, excluding lunch. Saturday 10 AM - 2 PM. Please call ahead to ensure someone will be available to assist.
Other Genealogy Resources:
Fairfield County Library is located at 300 W Washington St Winnsboro, SC 29180
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9AM - 6PM, Thursday 9AM - 9PM, Saturday 9AM - 1PM
(803) 635-4971

Fairfield County Court House
Deed Room
115 Congress Street
Winnsboro, SC 29180
Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
803-712-6526

Closed all legal holidays

Pelham Lyles, Director
231 South Congress Street
Winnsboro, SC 29180

Free Admission

Home of the Fairfield County
Genealogy Research Room

The most familiar landmark in old Winnsboro is the Town Clock. The building is located in downtown and is truly the very heart of the community. It was built primarily to house the public market, but because of the fact that it housed the clock and belfry, it soon became known to the citizens as the “Clock” instead of the market. Town Clocks were common and played an important role in the life of early American towns. The tolling bell pealed messages understood by the townspeople. The bell was use as a alarm for fires, danger, curfew, special announcements, and last but not least, “butchering days” - to make the townspeople aware that fresh meat was available. Tradition has it that there were beaten paths from every direction made by dogs that knew the sound of the bell and that it meant morsels of fresh meat for them.

In 1785, the South Carolina General Assembly authorized the establishment of a public market in the Town of Winnsboro. Winnsboro’s market house was located in the town square across the street from the Courthouse. It was a square wooden building with a tower at one end to house the bell which was used as an alarm.

During the 1820s, Robert Cathcart purchased the old market building and with the deal donated his duck pond and some land in the center of Washington Street for the new market.

The Town Council accepted the land and petitioned the Legislature for authority to erect a new market house and town clock. The authority was given “provided the building be no more than 30 feet in width”. This was to allow sufficient space for wagons to pass on each side of the clock. This same space allows cars to pass today. The new market with its clock towner was built in 1833-34.

The brick came from Charleston and legend has it that 50 wagons were needed to make the three week trip to Charleston and back. Works for the clock were ordered from Alsace, France by Colonel William McCreight, the Town Intendent. The clock, with its heavy iron weights, was wound by a windlass with large wire cables. The clock was later wired to run electrically and continues to keep Winnsboro on time to the present.

The bell for the clock tower was also made in France and it sounded a “silvery tone”. It was used until 1895 when during a fire it was rung so vigorously that it was cracked and had to be sent to Philadelphia for repairs. When it was finally returned, the “old timers’ reported it has lost its silvery tone or perhaps was not the original bell that had been sent for repair.

Look Out for Yankees

Doctor Lord, the Episcopal minister during the War of Northern Aggression., wrote of a incident that occurred during the Yankee occupation of Winnsboro. After the Union troops began to move out of the town, some f the native boys spotted several “bummers” with oil-soaked torches, hiding in the “courthouse tower”. Since the Courthouse has no tower, the narrator must have confused it with the Town Clock, which is located diagonally in front of the Courthouse.

The boys reported their findings to Dr. Lord, one f the few men left in town during the occupation. He immediately took the matter to the Federal officer who was making preparations to leave. The office explained that he was already late taking his men out after trying to round up stragglers and that they were already in danger of being captured by the Confederates who were in the woods to the east of the town. Dr. Lord argued with him and promised him immunity from capture if he would do his duty and get the renegades before they brought more terror to the already prostrate town.

The officer finally heeded his plans and took a detail of soldiers to dislodge the drunken buzzards from the roost. He was later stopped by a party of Confederates but when he showed them the minister’s letter they gave him, his men and prisoners.an escort to Union lines.

Building Specifications

The market house was built to specifications in width with one large room on the ground floor used for the public market and two small rooms. One of the rooms was used as Town Hall and the other “Guard House” where breakers of the peace were retained temporarily.

In 1875, further construction and repairs were required. An African-American carpenter, John Smart of Winnsboro, did the work and the present tower was erected.

In spite of the cracked bell and repairs to the tower, the old clock has run continuously for over 185 years. Legend has it to be the Oldest Continuously Running Town Clock in the United States.

The hand-wound mechanism was converted to electric in the 1970s. The four faces of the clock must be set individually, requiring someone on the ground to read the face and advise the person in the town is the time is correct. It must be manually reset twice each year for Daylight Savings time. The pendulum and other pieces of the original clock works remain in the building. In order to maintain the status of “longest continuously running” town clock, a backup generator provided power during an electrical power failure.

The clock was renovated and stabilized again in 2013 at which time the clock face was painted black with white hands & numbers as it had been in the 1920s & 1930s.

The Town Clock continues to serve as the focal point of downtown Winnsboro, serving as a major landmark, the tallest building in Winnsboro and the centerpiece for the annual Rock Around the Clock Festival held in the fall as well as many other events during the year.

The Town Clock serves as the office of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce. The first floor is used for small events and a voting precinct .