South Carolina’s Oldest Military Museum Honors Generations of Veterans with Powerful Vietnam Exhibit

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s oldest military museum, located in the heart of the capital city, is spotlighting the sacrifices of local veterans across history through a new immersive exhibit on the Vietnam War — a powerful tribute aiming to reconnect visitors with the human stories behind America’s conflicts.

The museum — formally known as the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum — has operated since 1896 and is now working to redefine its role as a modern storyteller of statewide service. Despite its politically charged name, leaders at the museum insist their mission is focused on honoring all veterans, not glorifying any specific era or ideology.

“We deal with the name all the time. It’s politically incorrect, it’s archaic,” said Executive Director Allen Roberson, who has overseen the museum since 1998. “But it doesn’t define us.”

Exhibit Brings Vietnam Jungle to Columbia

The museum’s latest feature, titled “A War with No Front Lines: South Carolina and the Vietnam War,” uses lights, soundscapes, and silhouettes to place visitors in the terrain of Southeast Asia. It’s designed to capture the emotional and physical reality soldiers faced during their deployments.

“That’s what we’re trying to do — put you there and talk about the soldier’s experience,” Roberson told WIS News. “What they encountered, what they felt, how it was different.”

The exhibit includes:

• Over 80 recorded interviews with veterans

• Letters from Sgt. Steve Flaherty, a Columbia native who wrote home from the war

• A memorial wall listing nearly 1,000 South Carolinians who died in Vietnam

From Controversy to Connection

The museum faced public backlash nearly a decade ago when it accepted the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House, as required by law. Attendance dropped in the years following.

But this new direction — with emotionally rich exhibits that humanize service across generations — appears to be revitalizing interest. Since launching the Vietnam exhibit in 2022, annual attendance rose to 42,000 visitors, a more than 50% increase from the previous year.

“We tell the stories of South Carolinians who sacrificed their lives in defense of this country,” Roberson said. “That’s what we’re all about.”

Name Change May Be on the Horizon

Though the museum is one of just 10% in the state to be nationally accredited, Roberson acknowledged that the name “Confederate Relic Room” is a barrier to corporate fundraising and broader public engagement.

“For the long-term health of the museum, it’s warranted,” he said of a potential rebranding. But any official name change would require approval from the state legislature.

Visitor Info

The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 A.M. – 5 P.M. and is located in downtown Columbia. The museum is funded by state taxpayers and offers educational tours, school programming, and rotating exhibits on South Carolina’s military history.

Have you visited the Vietnam exhibit or another military museum that left a lasting impression? Share your thoughts or personal connections to South Carolina’s veterans at SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com — where local memory matters.