Exhibitions Feature Anniversary of 1886 Earthquake

The 125^th anniversary of the great Charleston earthquake of 1886, the largest earthquake ever to strike the east coast of the United States, is being commemorated by three physical exhibitions and two online displays. All draw on the research conducted by Susan Millar Williams and Stephen G. Hoffius for their new book Upheaval in Charleston: Earthquake and Murder on the Eve of Jim Crow (University of Georgia Press, 2011).

Medical University of South Carolina: “Faults and Fractures: The Medical Response to the 1886 Charleston Earthquake” opens on August 31, 2011, on the third floor the MUSC Main Library and will remain on display until October 31. It describes the effects of the earthquake on public health, medical institutions, and health-care professionals in Charleston. The City Hospital and Roper Hospital were so badly damaged that patients had to be moved away from the damaged buildings. Eventually, the structure housing the City Hospital was torn down and a new facility was constructed. An online version of the exhibition can be accessed online at http://waringlibrary.musc.edu/exhibits.EarthQuake.

College of Charleston: An exhibit featuring images, poetry, and prose about the earthquake, as well as manuscript materials can be viewed in the display cases outside Special Collections, Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library, at the College of Charleston. The exhibit will open on the anniversary of the earthquake, August 31, and will continue through the fall. Many of the images from that exhibition and others from research facilities in the area can be found at http://lowcountrydigital.library.cofc.edu/.

South Carolina State Museum: At the South Carolina State Museum, “The Great Charleston Earthquake, 1886” illustrates the impact of the quake on communities across the country, national and local relief efforts, how people coped with aftershocks, and the process of rebuilding the city. The exhibit also explains how to protect lives and property against seismic disasters and how government agencies aid communities after quakes. Artifacts include “earthquake sand” thrown up by sandblows and sold as souvenirs to tourists after the 1886 earthquake, “earthquake bolts” used to reinforce damaged structures after the disaster, a model of one of the shock absorbers installed under the South Carolina State House foundation during renovations in the late 1990s, and an emergency box used today by the Red Cross and other agencies to bring food, shelter, and first aid to victims of natural disaster. The exhibit will run through April 2012 and then travel to other locations across the state. The exhibit is co-sponsored by the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

For more information, contact Susan Millar Williams (843) 887-3890 or Stephen G. Hoffius (843) 853-5372.