J.R. Fennell presents “The history of alcohol in South Carolina”

The Horry County Museum presents a free program on July 8 at 1 p.m. on the history of alcohol and drinking in the state of South Carolina. Attendees will learn about the alcoholic beverages that South Carolinians enjoyed in the colonial period through the end of prohibition. This presentation will also teach attendees about the movement to limit or ban alcohol and the state dispensary system.

Speaker J.R. Fennell, a native of Walterboro and lifelong history enthusiast, is the director of the Lexington County Museum located in downtown Lexington. He has a master’s degree in public history and a graduate certificate in museum management from the University of South Carolina. While in graduate school, Fennell researched many topics relating to the history of South Carolina, focusing on the colonial period and the 20th century.

The program will begin at 1 p.m. in the McCown Auditorium located at 805 Main Street in Conway SC. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (843) 915-5320 or email hcgmuseum@horrycounty.org.

Fennell previously worked at the SC Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, working in the education department, the archives department, the collections management department and in the public relations department.

He also completed internships with the City of Columbia planning department and Meadors Construction in Charleston, worked at McKissick Museum and served as the acting director of the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation.

He has been director of the Lexington County Museum since July 2007. At the museum, he has focused on publicizing the museum and its collections while still continuing to research the county’s history and collect artifacts that were made and used in Lexington County. He loves being able to educate tourists and locals about the rich history of the county and the state.

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