State Museum Launches Revolutionary War Program Series

The South Carolina State Museum announced the launch of Our Founding Tables, a new programming series exploring South Carolina’s foodways during the Revolutionary War. Each program will highlight a different region in telling the stories of the state’s history, culture, and its people during this pivotal time. The first will focus on the Upstate and take place at The Gaines Lodge in Table Rock State Park on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.  

Presented as part of South Carolina’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, Our Founding Tables will bring chefs, scholars, educators, and guests together at locations across the state to explore Revolutionary-era history through food, culture, and the experiences of the people who lived it. The inaugural program will focus on women in the Upstate and the roles they played in agriculture, foodways, and life on the home front.   

“Our Founding Tables invites guests to look at the Revolutionary era through the foodways and cultural experiences that have shaped South Carolina,” said SCSM Head of Community Engagement Meeghan Kane. “It will be an opportunity to consider whose stories are represented at the table, how those stories have changed over time, and what they can tell us about our state.” 

In the afternoon, during a free program from 2 to 4 p.m., guests at The Gaines Lodge can meet scholars and educators of the American Revolution in South Carolina, talk with curators of the museum's exhibition American Battleground: South Carolina’s Revolution, and view A Blueprint for Liberty, a traveling exhibition and collaborative project by the South Carolina State Museum and the South Carolina Historical Society. 

The ticketed evening event will include a panel discussion examining the courage and creativity of women in South Carolina’s Upstate, focusing on their ingenuity in shaping the region’s foodways. The discussion will be hosted by Charleston-based writer Stephanie Burt, host and executive producer of The Southern Fork podcast. Burt’s work has appeared in numerous publications, including Saveur, The Washington Post, CNN's Parts Unknown, Conde Nast Traveler, and The Bitter Southern. The program will be followed by a family-style dinner, featuring local ingredients from the region that will be prepared by Greenville, South Carolina native Stephanie Bolden. The evening will also include opportunities to meet with SCSM curators and view A Blueprint to Liberty. 

In addition to moderator Stephanie Burt, the evening will also feature several panelists, including SCSM Curator of History Laura Cothran; Heather Smitherman, domestic skills education coordinator at Old Salem Museums & Gardens; Beth Melton, a Rock Hill-based artist and educator whose work focuses on textiles and weaving; and Miranda Panther, NAGPRA officer for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Historic Preservation Office.  

Cothran’s research includes interests in 18th- and 19th-century Southern material culture and the history of women. Smitherman develops living history programs that explore the experiences of Moravian and enslaved women of Salem. Melton’s portfolio is rooted in textiles and related practices and includes experience teaching weaving and fine arts. Panther has nearly two decades of experience working in cultural resources and repatriation. She is responsible for the repatriation of thousands of Cherokee ancestors and close to 500,000 objects.  

Our Founding Tables is made possible through a grant from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission (SC250), with additional support from Certified SC Grown. SC250 supports programs across the state that help tell South Carolina’s Revolutionary-era story and connect residents and visitors with the people, places, and events that shaped the fight for American independence. 

Tickets for Our Founding Tables at Table Rock State Park, which include dinner and two drink vouchers, are $75 for museum members and $95 for non-members. For additional information, visit scmuseum.org.