SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Financials

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

100 MEETING ST, CHARLESTON, SC 29401-2215

Principal officer (990 for 2025)

DR ELIZABETH CHEW, 100 MEETING STREET, CHARLESTON, SC 29401

Signed the 990

DR ELIZABETH CHEW, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Phone

(843) 723-3225

Website

SCHSONLINE.ORG

Return prepared by

DAVIS & COMPANY CPAS

Mission

THE SCHS MISSION IS TO EXPAND, PRESERVE, AND MAKE ACCESSIBLE OUR INVALUABLE COLLECTION, AND TO ENCOURAGE INTEREST AND PRIDE IN THE RICH HISTORY OF OUR STATE.

Program accomplishments

• ARCHIVALTHE SOCIETY HAS APPROXIMATELY 3,000 MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS THAT INCLUDE LETTERS, DIARIES, LEGAL PAPERS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS DATING FROM 1670 TO THE PRESENT AND MORE THAN 10,000 OVERSIZED PLATS, MONUMENTS, MAPS AND DRAWINGS. OVER 30,000 PHOTOGRAPHS, PRINTS, AND OTHER VISUAL ITEMS ARE MAINTAINED, AS WELL AS A RESEARCH LIBRARY CONTAINING NEARLY 5,000 BOOKS SELECTED TO ADD CONTEXTUAL EVIDENCE THAT ENHANCES THE MANUSCRIPT AND OTHER ARCHIVAL HOLDINGS. THE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES MORE THAN 45,000 HISTORICAL PAMPHLETS AND PRINTED MATERIALS AS WELL AS HUNDREDS OF FILES AND BOOKS PERTAINING TO GENEALOGY. THE COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES NUMEROUS ARTIFACTS RANGING FROM OVERSIZED, UNIQUE BATTLE FLAGS TO SMALL, PERSONAL ITEMS. MOST OF THE COLLECTION IS HOUSED AT THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON'S ADDLESTONE LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AREA. WITH THE MUSEUM INSTALLATION IN 2018 SELECTED ITEMS ARE EXHIBITED IN THE FIREPROOF BUILDING. ALSO, SOME ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS ARE MAINTAINED IN THE SOCIETY'S HEADQUARTERS.THE BOARD OF MANAGERS ADOPTED THE POLICY TO NOT CAPITALIZE ITS COLLECTION BECAUSE IT IS IMPRACTICABLE TO ATTEMPT TO ASSIGN VALUES TO THE COLLECTION BECAUSE EACH ITEM HAS CERTAIN ATTRIBUTES, SUCH AS AGE, PREPARATION, TYPE OF CULTURAL MATERIAL AND RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, PERSONS OR EVENTS IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORY THAT MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE AN OBJECTIVE BASIS FOR EVALUATION. THE SOCIETY DOES NOT CONSIDER THE COLLECTIONS A FINANCIAL ASSET, BUT RATHER AN IRREPLACEABLE TREASURE OF SOUTH CAROLINA CULTURE TO BE PRESERVED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.THE SOCIETY'S LIBRARIAN AND ARCHIVISTS OPERATE OUT OF ADDLESTONE LIBRARY WHERE THEY MANAGE THE COLLECTION, PROVIDE REFERENCE SERVICE AND ASSIST PATRONS IN THE RESEARCH ROOM. THE READING ROOM THERE IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THE STAFF PROMOTES THE USE OF THE COLLECTION THROUGH SUCH ACTIVITIES AS CLASSROOM VISITS, PRIVATE TOURS OF THE COLLECTION, AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. COLLEGE CLASSES IN PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION AND/OR FREQUENTLY VISIT THE BUILDING FOR HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE.
  Expenses $386,997 · revenue $13,330
• OUTREACH, EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC PROGRAMMING THE SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY (SCHS) EDUCATES AND ENGAGES THE PUBLIC ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORY AND ITS COLLECTIONS THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE OUTREACH, EDUCATION, AND PUBLIC PROGRAMMING INITIATIVE. SCHS UTILIZES A WEBSITE (HTTPS://SCHISTORY.ORG/), ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS (INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK), VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON PROGRAMS, LECTURES, AND PUBLICATIONS TO REACH AUDIENCES STATEWIDE. PUBLISHING SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORY IS CENTRAL TO THE SOCIETY'S MISSION. SCHS BEGAN PUBLISHING ITS COLLECTIONS PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR AND HAS PUBLISHED THE SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL MAGAZINE SINCE 1900. THE MAGAZINE IS A PEER-REVIEWED SCHOLARLY JOURNAL OVERSEEN BY AN EDITORIAL BOARD OF LEADING HISTORIANS AND PUBLISHES EIGHT ARTICLES ANNUALLY, ALONG WITH APPROXIMATELY FIFTY BOOK REVIEWS AND TWENTY NEWLY PROCESSED MANUSCRIPT LISTINGS IN QUARTERLY ISSUES. SCHS ALSO PUBLISHES CAROLOGUE, A POPULAR HISTORY MAGAZINE FEATURING ACCESSIBLE ARTICLES, PHOTO ESSAYS, AND UPDATES ON SOCIETY PROGRAMS AND EVENTS. SCHS PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND LIFELONG LEARNERS, INCLUDING ITS TRAVELING ARCHIVE PROGRAM, WHICH BRINGS REPRODUCTIONS OF PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIALS DIRECTLY INTO CLASSROOMS ACROSS THE STATE. THE SOCIETY WORKS CLOSELY WITH EDUCATORS TO ALIGN PROGRAMMING WITH CURRICULUM STANDARDS AND SUPPORT THE USE OF PRIMARY SOURCES IN TEACHING. SCHS ALSO HOSTS LECTURES, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS AT THE FIREPROOF BUILDING MUSEUM AND AT PARTNER SITES THROUGHOUT SOUTH CAROLINA, OFFERING BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT BROADEN ACCESS TO HISTORY, ENCOURAGE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SOCIETY'S COLLECTIONS, AND SUPPORT STATEWIDE LEARNING AND RESEARCH.
  Expenses $474,346 · revenue $65,683
• FIREPROOF BUILDING AND MUSEUM: THE BUILDING WAS DESIGNED BY ROBERT MILLS, A NATIVE SOUTH CAROLINIAN AND THE FIRST PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED AMERICAN ARCHITECT. MILLS ALSO DESIGNED THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT -HIS MOST FAMOUS WORK- AND NUMEROUS BUILDINGS THROUGHOUT SOUTH CAROLINA AND AS FAR NORTH AS MASSACHUSETTS. THE FIREPROOF BUILDING WAS THE FIRST IN AMERICA DESIGNED TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF FIRE. THE DRIVERS OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IN CHARLESTON TODAY ARE EARTHQUAKES AND HURRICANES. IN THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY, THE MAJOR CONCERN FOR URBAN ARCHITECTURE WAS FIRE. DURING THE COLONIAL PERIOD, CHARLESTON (AND MANY OTHER CITIES) EXPERIENCEDNUMEROUSFIRES IN WHICH LARGE PARTS OF THE CITY WERE DESTROYED. MILLS WANTED TO CREATE A BUILDING THAT COULDCONTAINA BLAZE AND PREVENT IT FROM SPREADING TO OTHER BUILDINGS IN THE CITY. TO MAKE THE BUILDING AS "FIREPROOF" AS POSSIBLE, MILLS HAD CHALMERS STREET WIDENED TO PROVIDE A BETTER FIREBREAK. HE HAD ALLOTHERBUILDINGS ON AND AROUND THE SITE REMOVED. DURING THE 2016-2018 RENOVATION, CREWS FOUND FOUNDATIONS OF DWELLINGS THAT DATEDTO CA.1700-1720. MILLS ALSO DESIGNED WASHINGTON SQUARE, WHICH WOULD SERVE AS A FIREBREAK ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BUILDING. INDEED, THE ENTIRE SITE WAS DESIGNED TO BE FIREPROOF, NOT JUST THE BUILDING. THE SCHS MUSEUM, HOUSED IN THE HISTORIC FIREPROOF BUILDING,CONTAINS6 GALLERIES THAT TELL THE STORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH THE VAST COLLECTION OF THE SOCIETY.THE GALLERIES, WHICH ARELOCATEDON THE SECOND (MAIN) FLOOR, ARE: GALLERY I: A HAVEN WITH PROSPECTS: EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT GALLERY II: NEW HORIZONS: BUILDING A STATE AND A NATION GALLERY III: SECESSION, WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION GALLERY IV: CHARLESTON RECOVERS GALLERY V: CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN ART, LITERATURE, AND CULTURE GALLERY VI:VOICES OF REVOLUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA(ROTATING OPENED SEPTEMBER 2025)
  Expenses $447,758 · revenue $47,654
• Expenses $339,620

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

57-0323800

Tax-exempt status

501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization

Foundation status

Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))

Donations deductible (Pub 78)

Public charity, 50% deduction limit

Exempt since

1941

Accounting year ends

December

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

Arts, culture and humanities (A82Z)

Assets (IRS master file)

$11,532,622

Income (IRS master file)

$1,635,332

Filing history

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 57-0323800).

Questions about SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

What is the EIN of SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY?

The employer identification number (EIN) of SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY is 57-0323800.

Is SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1941.

Are donations to SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY file?

Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.

When is the next return of SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY due?

The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.

Who is the principal officer of SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names DR ELIZABETH CHEW.

Who are the officers and directors of SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY?

The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 27 people; 3 received compensation from the organization, the highest $206,021 (ELIZABETH CHEW, CEO AND EX-OFFICIO).

How much revenue does SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL SOCIETY have?

On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $1,635,332, expenses of $2,075,948 and total assets of $11,532,622 at year end.

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