The Horry County Museum is breathing new life into its historic home to keep the doors swinging for another 100 years.
The doors to the historic Burroughs School, which was built in 1905, are in the process of being refinished – for the first time.
“We have a very unique opportunity here to be able to take original components of the building and have them completely refreshed instead of just replacing them with new ones or changing them. So, they will be just like they were when they were originally installed,” explained Walter Hill, director of the Horry County Museum.
A contractor recently started the three-phase project to refinish 11 sets of doors.
“They will take them to Irmo, South Carolina. They disassemble the doors so they can utilize the original components of the doors, replace any parts that are damaged or rotted, and then put them back together,” said Hill.
Once they are restored, Horry County Maintenance will reinstall the doors to their original locations.
Prior to this project, the original doors were only maintained through painting, patching and puttying.
“It's very important to us that the original fabric of this building be maintained. Over the years, we've been very conscientious about maintaining the historical integrity of indoors and outdoors of this historic structure,” said Hill.
A large portion of the funding for this project stems from a grant from the South Carolina Historic Preservation Office and South Carolina Department Archives and History.
The Horry County Museum applied for the funding with the help of Horry County’s Community Development and Grants Department.
“It’s a very specialized job and a very specialized source of funding,” explained Elizabeth Trantor, Director of Horry County Community Developments & Grants. “We read over the application, worked with them on the application. The application was submitted, and we were so thankful to be able to receive funding for that project.”
All of the doors are expected to be returned before Christmas.
“By the end of 2025… the original wooden doors will all have been, refinished, reconstructed and replaced back fresh and ready to go again for another hundred years,” noted Hill.
Until then, the public is encouraged to continue to visit the museum in Historic Downtown Conway, despite the building’s temporary entrances.
Visit The Horry County Museum:
The Horry County Museum, which is located at 805 Main Street in Conway, is FREE to both residents and visitors.
Hours of Operation:
- Horry County Museum: Tuesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- L.W. Paul Living History Farm: Tuesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Visit the Horry County Museum website, here, to learn more.
Follow the Horry County Museum on social media for updates on their programs and exhibits.
History of the historic Burroughs School:
Now home to the Horry County Museum, the historic Burroughs School has lived many lives. When it opened in 1905, it first housed classrooms for students in first through 10th grade.
Over the years, it would go on to serve as a high school, grammar school and as Horry County offices.
It was entered into The National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The building officially entered its current chapter as the Horry County Museum in 2013.