Name/Title
Hampton Preston House & Tricentennial DomeEntry/Object ID
2004.12.6Description
Color photo postcard depicting the Hampton-Preston Mansion with the westernmost geodesic dome in the background. Printed in green ink in the lower-left corner of the reverse side of the postcard is information about the mansion and its role in the 1970 South Carolina Tricentennial.Subject Place
Location
Hampton Preston MansionCity
Columbia, South CarolinaContext
This postcard depicts the Hampton-Preston Mansion alongside the westernmost of two geodesic domes erected for the 1970 South Carolina Tricentennial. The South Carolina Tricentennial celebrated three hundred years of South Carolina history, with the event in Charleston focused on colonization and colonial life (1670-1770), the event in Columbia focused on life from the American Revolution through the Civil War (1770-1870), and the event in Greenville focused on the 100 years leading up to 1970.
The Hampton-Preston Mansion and surrounding grounds represented Columbia as the site of the Midlands Exposition Center. Over 135,000 people visited the mansion and the two geodesic domes erected on its east and west by the time the exposition center closed on June 30, 1971. The domes, incongruous with the mansion's historic architecture, served as temporary exhibition galleries showcasing South Carolina history from 1770 to 1870. Period rooms inside the mansion showcased the affluence and material possessions of the Hampton and Preston families from the Revolutionary War until the Reconstruction Era.Postcard Details
Postcard Type
Photograph (1900-Present)Date Printed
circa 1970Dimensions
Width
3-1/2 inLength
5-1/2 inRelationships
Related Places
Place
Location
Hampton Preston MansionCity
Columbia, South CarolinaRelated Events
Event
South Carolina Tricentennial
