Clarendon County officials say materials housed at the Clarendon County Archives may be temporarily relocated while leaders pursue repairs to the building and a longer-term plan to preserve the facility.
The update follows a joint statement from County Council Chairman Jay Johnson, Council Member Pat Coker and Rep. Fawn Pedalino, who said they are working to secure state appropriations for repairs and ultimately hope to transfer the building to the Clarendon County Historical Society once restoration is complete.
County Administrator Walt Ackerman stated that the county has identified a possible temporary location for the Archives’ materials, though officials are not yet prepared to publicly name it while contract details are still being finalized.
The move, he said, could happen before any major repair funding is secured.
According to Ackerman, Rep. Fawn Pedalino was unable to seek state appropriations in the current budget cycle because that window had already closed, meaning the earliest such request would likely come in the 2027-28 state budget.
In the meantime, the county is trying to move quickly because of concerns about the building’s condition, including water intrusion and damage already caused by moisture.
“I worry every day about water intrusion,” Ackerman said. “Some things have already been damaged, but we just don’t have the funds to fix it properly.”
Any transition could also temporarily affect access to the Archives’ records.
Rather than simply boxing up the collection and moving it, Ackerman said he plans to ask County Council to consider funding a large-scale digitization effort so records can eventually be made searchable online while also protecting fragile originals.
The county’s current position also appears to be shaped by a grant effort that began last year.
Ackerman confirmed the county previously received a $50,000 grant through the South Carolina Department of Archives and History’s Historic Preservation State Grant program to fund an engineering and architectural assessment of the Archives building.
That assessment identified a substantial list of repairs, and a September 2025 probable construction cost estimate for exterior repair and restoration placed the total at $299,874.30. The estimate states it was prepared to assist with budget planning and a historic preservation grant application.
Ackerman said the repair scope was later reduced in an effort to fit within grant limits, but the county did not receive the larger repair grant.
“They pared it down a little bit more and submitted for the grant, but we didn’t get the grant,” Ackerman said. “So we never had the money to actually do the repairs.”
He also said the nearly $300,000 estimate no longer reflects the building’s full needs, noting the report was already pared down to fit grant guidelines and is now about a year old. Among the additional concerns he cited was a specialized HVAC system he said could cost roughly $35,000 and may need replacement soon.
County leaders have also pointed to issues beyond cost, including the building’s lack of handicap accessibility, its single means of entry and exit, and broader safety concerns for a public building housing large volumes of paper records.
Historical Society leaders have previously told The Manning Times they support preserving the Archives but remain concerned about whether taking ownership of the building would be financially feasible. They have also raised questions about public access and the long-term handling of records and materials during any move.
Additional meetings with county officials and records requests are still pending as reporting continues.
