The Harbor Historical Association of Georgetown (HHA) has committed to create the South Carolina Maritime Museum on the waterfront in downtown historic Georgetown. HHA is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) group which began in 1996 with a mission to preserve and promote the maritime history of Georgetown County and South Carolina.
Thanks to the strong support of the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show by the community since the 90’s, the Show has grown to become the best of its kind on the southeast coast. With its growth has come enough prosperity to enable HHA, the group that has run the Show from its start, to invest in a maritime museum, a long term goal of the group. The museum opened its doors in late 2011 with a small, but tasteful, beginning and with a vision of also becoming the best of its kind in the Southeast.
Now home to the prized Fresnel lens of the old Georgetown lighthouse, the South Carolina Maritime Museum’s mission is to create enjoyable experiences for all by featuring exhibits, artifacts, and programs related to South Carolina’s rich and remarkable maritime history.