Stroll through our gates to enter the elegantly restored Williams Brice House, an Edwardian house built in 1916 by the Moses and Phelps families. Take in the breadth our of decorative arts and fine art collections. Linger in our period rooms and imagine life at a slower pace. You can also learn about our city's namesake in the Thomas Sumter Room.

Upstairs, you'll see exhibits on Sumter County through the years, military history, and Coca-Cola. The remaining rooms feature rotating exhibits currently including Finding Africa at Her Own Door: Emma Wilson and the Mayesville Institute and Justice for All: South Carolina and the American Civil Rights Movement. Visit our Exhibits page to learn more.

The Development of the Museum

Preserving our local history started with the development of the Sumter County Historical Society in the 1950s. Members soon realized they needed museum archives to house their growing collections. In 1965, the Society gained access to a basement in the County Courthouse. Myrtis Osteen kept this area open for visitors a couple of hours one day a week.

In 1972, Martha William Brice’s heirs, Philip and Thomas W. Edwards, gave their aunt’s property at 122 North Washington Street as a gift to the Historical Society. In 1976, the museum was formally dedicated as the Williams-Brice Museum/Archives of the Sumter County Historical Society. In 1989, the museum became a separate organization and its name changed to the Sumter County Museum. This building is referred to as the Williams-Brice House in recognition of the former residents Martha Williams Brice and Thomas Brice. (Martha’s heirs also donated a portion of her estate to the University of South Carolina Athletics department which led to the construction on and the naming of the football stadium “Williams-Brice).

Martha Brice Gardens

Take a walk in the gardens that surround the Williams-Brice House and enjoy the birds and the trickle of water as it splashes over the fountain and into the koi pond. Nationally renowned landscape designer Robert Marvin designed the original gardens at the Museum in the early 1960s. Today, Marvin’s design can still be seen in the curving walkways and plant groupings. The gardens contain dozens of azaleas and camellias, along with magnolias, dogwoods, and many other trees. Above this lovely garden are towering 100-year old pecan trees shading a beautiful place to spend quiet minutes.