Greer Heritage Museum is a local history museum in Greer, South Carolina, near the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. The museum was founded by Carmela B. Hudson (1920-2017), a native of New Haven, Connecticut, a member of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in World War II, a graduate of Furman University, and an elementary school teacher and librarian.[2] Hudson "built the collection from nothing, pulled together a board of directors, and established a non-profit."[3] In 2008, the museum moved to the former Greer post office built in 1935,[4] where its collections were displayed under the direction of another former librarian and English professor, Joada Hiatt, a native of Kentucky.[5] After Hiatt moved from Greer and local interest in the museum had declined, the board, in 2021, chose as director, David Lovegrove, a native of Idaho and chief marketing officer for Bob Jones University. Lovegrove spearheaded a museum revitalization.[6] [7][8]
Greer Post Office | |
 Greer Heritage Museum, 2012 | |
   | |
| Location | 106 South Main Street, Greer, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°56′18″N 82°13′41″W / 34.9382°N 82.2281°W |
| Built | 1935 |
| Built by | Lloyd B. Gallimore |
| Architect | Donald G. Anderson |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 10001184[1] |
| Added to NRHP | January 31, 2011 |
The museum's exhibits include displays on Native Americans, agriculture, the textile industry, late 19th-century upper-middle-class life, and popular culture in the mid-20th century. [9]
The museum is located in the former Greer Post Office, a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10] The Colonial Revival-style post office was constructed in 1935 under the supervision of the Public Works Administration during the New Deal era and designed by New York City-based architect Donald G. Anderson, with Louis A. Simon named as supervising architect. Unlike this post office, most New Deal-era buildings were designed by in-house architects.[11]
The former post office lobby features a mural, "Cotton and Peach Growing," painted in 1940 by the obscure artist Winfield Walkley (1909–1954). Although the mural was roughly handled and covered with paneling when the post office became the Greer city hall in 1968, the paneling was removed in 2008 following acquisition of the property by the museum.[12] The mural is one of 13 commissioned between 1938 and 1941 by the US Department of Treasury's Section of Fine Arts for South Carolina federal buildings and post offices.[13] In 1964, the building was sold to the city of Greer for use as a city hall.
References
edit- ^ "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 1/31/11 Through 2/04/11". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Hudson obituary
- ^ Greer Heritage Museum-About Us.
- ^ The museum had previously leased several spaces in Greer, including a downtown location beside railroad tracks on Trade Street. https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/2016/12/23/greer-heritage-museum-puts-its-stamp-on-former-post-office/23144932007/
- ^ History of Greer
- ^ Greer Heritage Museum-New Director.
- ^ GHM Revitalization Plan
- ^ "Lovegrove has taken the time-worn treasures stored in the historic Greer Heritage Museum (GHM) and revived the landmark from the brink of extinction." "Citizen of the Year: David Lovegrove," The Greer Citizen, January 4, 2023.
- ^ "Greer Heritage Museum". City of Greer. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ^ In 2011, Rose Marie Cooper Jordan, who completed the National Register nomination, was honored with a Community Service Award given by the Daughters of the American Revolution. https://greertoday.com/greer-sc/jordan-honored-for-documenting-old-post-office-for-national-register/2011/10/11/.
- ^ "NRHP Nomination Form" (PDF). Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ City of Greer website.
- ^ "Greer Post Office". Retrieved December 1, 2013.