SC State Museum removes 1950s KKK flyer from exhibit after visitors raise concerns

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The South Carolina State Museum has removed a Ku Klux Klan flyer from one of its major historical exhibitions after visitors raised concerns about its placement near a photograph of the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond.

The document, a 1956 KKK flyer, was featured in the exhibition “American Battleground: South Carolina’s Revolution,” which opened in June to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.

Museum curators placed the flyer at the end of the exhibit in a gallery examining how Revolutionary War ideals continued to influence political viewpoints and social movements across subsequent centuries.

According to officials, the historical flyer was displayed next to a photograph of Thurmond delivering a speech. Visitors noted that the side-by-side presentation created the false impression that Thurmond was affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan.

“A few guests pointed out that the arrangement of the photograph and the flyer gave the incorrect impression that Strom Thurmond was involved with the KKK, which is not true,” the museum said in a statement. “To avoid any unintended misunderstanding, the Museum’s leadership and content team felt it was best to remove the flyer.”

Museum leadership emphasized that the decision would not disrupt the exhibit’s broader educational narrative, adding that removing the artifact allows the gallery to “present the materials in a clearer and more historically accurate way.”

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