Natives and Immigrants Exhibit

The Belton Area Museum Association (BAMA) welcomes everyone to the opening celebration of its newest exhibit entitled Natives and Immigrants at the historic Belton train depot on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM.

In commemoration of the 350^th anniversary of the founding of the Colony of Carolina, the exhibit focuses on the indigenous people groups who were already living in the territory and the European settlers who arrived on these shores to create a new life for themselves.

“Many of the amazing artifacts both groups left behind are on display,” said BAMA executive director Abigail Burden.

At the center of the exhibit is the SC State Museum’s traveling exhibit The First South Carolinians:  The Life and Times of the First Cultures in the Palmetto State.  Visitors can walk through the exhibit and view the extensive collections of several local patrons.

Included in the display are 15,000 year old stone implements, a buckskin dress, ritual masks, photographs and portraits, basketry and pottery by renowned Native American crafters, silver pieces and  minted items from the Carolina colony, trade industry items, furniture and everyday cultural items of the settlers.

At Heritage Days on the grounds of the depot, foraged food items will be available for tasting and children can play colonial games and make crafts their ancestors enjoyed over 300 years ago.

Tribal Archaeologist and Chief of the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United Tribes of South Carolina Lamar Nelson will share flintknapping techniques.  In addition, he will have on display Native American stone implements unearthed in the state’s archaeological digs and share weaponry and tools that the Native Americans traditionally used.  Visitors are encouraged to bring spear heads, stone implements, and bird points to be identified and dated.

Catawba potter Keith “Little Bear” Brown, corn husk doll maker Millie Chaplin, cotton ginner Alan Warner, candle maker Paula Ashworth, and log cabin builders Rick Owens and Greg McKee will also be onsite to demonstrate their crafts and skills.

Heritage Days is funded by WebbCraft Family Foundation, the City of Belton HTAX fund, Waste Connections, Foothills Community Foundation, and Darby Metalworks Inc. and the Commercial Bank.

On Thursday, Nov. 11, at 7 PM, Dennis Chastain, renowned author and historian, will give an entertaining presentation about the ancient Cherokee Trading Path, or as he refers to it, “the Colonial equivalent of I 26, Internet and Facebook, all wrapped into one.”

On Saturday, Nov. 20, beginning at 8:30 AM, the 7^th Annual BAMA Turkey Shoot at Toney Creek Plantation will be held as the museum’s year-end fundraiser.  For $5 per target, shooters can vie for amazing prizes while enjoying improving their skills and having good-old-fashioned fun.

The exhibit and activities are sponsored by the WebbCraft Family Foundation and the City of Belton HTAX.  The exhibit will be on display until December  11, 2021.

For more information or to arrange a group tour, please contact BAMA executive director Abigail Burden, 864-338-7400.

“We will be monitoring Anderson County Covid 19 numbers and CDC recommendations closely to determine if any of these planned programs will need to be canceled,” said Board of Director President Tim Drake.

Please check BAMA’s Facebook page for updated information.

The Belton Area Museum Association is a place where people of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities can learn about and experience our area’s history and culture.  Museum admission is free.