Civil rights museum asks Orangeburg County for $450,000 annual support as exhibits are installed

Cecil Williams, speaking for the South Carolina Civil Rights Museum under construction at Boulevard and Russell in Orangeburg, appealed to the county on Sept. 2 for an annual operating contribution of $450,000.

Williams told council members the museum building was roughly 60 to 90 days from construction completion and that fabricating and installing exhibits would take an estimated six to nine months. He said the $450,000 figure represents the minimum operating budget for a roughly 10,000-square-foot museum with one additional staff member and argued that county and city support is necessary for the museum to succeed.

"The question must be asked, how can we sustain a world-class museum without city and county support?" Williams said, urging the council to reconsider the funding request after learning a previous $450,000 line item had been turned down.

Williams also presented an economic-impact estimate, saying conservative projections show the museum could attract 200,000 visitors annually and generate, at $100 per-visitor spending, roughly $20 million in local economic activity (the transcript used those numbers as a conservative projection, and Williams said $30—40 million is possible if more visitors stay overnight). The figures were presented as estimates from the museum's planning materials; council did not vote on funding during the meeting.

The request came during the public-comment portion of the meeting; council members thanked Williams for the update and said staff would take the comments under advisement. No council action or appropriation was made during the Sept. 2 meeting.