Culture and Heritage Museums

Arts & Culture
Education
Environment

Who We Are

The Culture & Heritage Museums is a family of museums in York County, SC, which includes Historic Brattonsville, the McCelvey Center, the Museum of York County and the Main Street Children's Museum.

What We Do

The mission of the Culture & Heritage Museums is to communicate and preserve the natural and cultural histories of the Carolina Piedmont, inspiring a lifetime of learning.

It is our vision to create a community that greatly values natural, historical and cultural heritage.

Museum of York County:

The mission of the Museum of York County is to enhance understanding of our world by collecting and preserving the art and natural history of the Carolina Piedmont, communicating regional themes and their broader global connections.

Explore the galaxy or discover your own backyard through the many exhibits at the Museum of York County! With more than 2,000 specimens at your fingertips, The Naturalist Center will guide your learning adventures. In the Settlemyre Planetarium, travel the cosmos from the comfort of your seat with state-of-the-art digital projection and new programs. Tot Town, a playful learning space awaits our youngest visitors, while the Vernon Grant Gallery features changing exhibitions for the young and young-at-heart. Don’t miss award-winning exhibitions and programs exploring a variety of natural history topics.

Experience a journey back in time to encounter the strange, gigantic, fierce, and fantastic beasts that once roamed the Carolinas! Featuring life-sized models, taxidermy mounts, diorama and habitat settings, fossils, interactives, and interpretive displays, Ice Age Carolinas portrays the Carolinas’ prehistoric landscapes and wildlife during the Pleistocene Epoch from 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago. See, touch, and learn about fossils and the fossil sites in South Carolina that helped paleontologists piece together this fascinating story.

The Museum Store offers items of interest for all ages. A picnic area and Nature Trail offer outdoor experiences.

Historic Brattonsville:

The mission of Historic Brattonsville is to preserve and present the history of the Carolina Piedmont and this Revolutionary War site as portrayed through the structures, landscape, and stories of the Brattonsville community.

Through award-winning programs such as Christmas Candlelight Tour and the Battle of Huck’s Defeat, Historic Brattonsville tells the story of its location from pre-Revolutionary War days, through the Civil War and antebellum period. Area residents are descended from the original settlers and African American slaves, and some participate as costumed interpreters at the site.

McCelvey Center:

The mission of the Historical Center of York County is to preserve the heritage of York County and the Carolina Piedmont through collection and care of its significant art, objects and archival material while providing opportunities for research and learning. The campus of this grand historical building is home to the Historical Center of York County and the Southern Revolutionary War Institute.

Main Street Children's Museum

The mission of the Main Street Children’s Museum is to prepare young learners and their families for the future, by providing positive learning through creative play in a unique environment inspired by the art of Vernon Grant.

Main Street Children’s Museum offers fun, educational activities created for ages birth through six.

Make-believe in the pumpkin house, climb to the tip-top of the tree house and sail on the magic ship. Enjoy memory-making family experiences and engage your young child in creative, developmental play. Main Street Children’s Museum is inspired by the artwork of American illustrator Vernon Grant, who lived and worked in Rock Hill.