December 2009
We visited this MASSIVE museum the day after we saw the zoo … and we spent just about ALL DAY there! Highly recommended if you’re in the Columbia area … lots for kids to see and do, too. From the card: “Known as Columbia Mills and later Mount Vernon Mills, the building opened in 1894. It was the first all-electric textile mill in the world and manufactured heavy cotton duck cloth. Since October, 1988, it has been the home of the SC State Museum. On four floors, the museum offers exhibits about the state’s art, history, natural history, science and technology.”
“The Best Friend of Charleston, the first American-built locomotive to make regular freight and passenger runs, first chugged out of Charleston on Christmas Day, 1830. Its top speed was 30 miles an hour. In 1831, the engine was destroyed when an inexperienced crewman closed a safety valve and the boiler exploded. This reproduction was made from the original blueprints.” You can climb into the back train … the kids HAD to do it, of course! 🙂