Allendale Historical Society Strengthens Community Health Through Preservation

The Allendale County Historical Society, founded in 2005 and governed by an eight member board of local residents, is expanding preservation work that has tangible effects on community wellbeing. The society is restoring historical markers around the county and compiling a comprehensive list of cemeteries, efforts that advance cultural memory while informing land use and environmental health considerations.

Volunteer driven projects include marker restoration and cemetery documentation, and the society welcomes additions and corrections to its cemetery list available online. Neighbors with information about markers or burial grounds can contact the society directly at allendalechs@gmail.com for marker work, or ACHistoricalSociety@allendalecounty.com for membership and volunteering. The society is based at 939 Main St. N. and receives mail at PO Box 85, Allendale, SC 29810. Meeting minutes are posted on the society site and meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 PM.

Recent community gatherings illustrated how history work intersects with public health and social equity. On September 6 the society participated in Community Day hosted by Renewed Faith International Ministries, handing out free lemonade and popcorn and engaging residents. On May 4 the society staffed a booth at the Unity Festival, sharing historic photographs with visitors and partnering with Keep Allendale County Beautiful and AllendaleSC250 to celebrate the countys past and future. In January the society convened at the James Brandt Building for Home Land Revisited, a local slideshow event that sparked community conversation about people and places shown in photographs.

Those activities build social connections that research links to better mental and physical health, and the cemetery documentation supports environmental review and planning when land use changes are proposed. Preserving markers and recognizing burial sites also addresses historical erasure and promotes more inclusive narratives about Allendale County. As the society prepares for its December 17 meeting at Swallow Savannah Methodist Church, organizers invite residents to join, volunteer, and share information so that preservation work can continue to strengthen community resilience and inform county level planning.