tence that it was finally secured at a nominal rental by lease 

 from the City. 



"The result is tremendous in its import for the Museum and for the 

 city. Thousands of specimens, valuable for exhibition or for study, are 

 packed away and entirely inaccessible for either purpose because of 

 absolute lack of space to properly arrange them. * * * The collec- 

 tions have been found to be such, both in quantity and quality, as to hold 

 an important position among the museums of the country. Without 

 doubt the largest and most valuable museum in the South, it is sur- 

 passed only by the great museums of some Northern Cities. ' ' 



The building is splendidly located in Cannon Park, at the 

 southeast corner of Rutledge Avenue and Calhoun Street, in 

 an attractive portion of the City, readily accessible from all 

 points by two trolley lines passing it. It contains 

 about 35,000 square feet of floor space available for exhibi- 

 tion, and as much more for offices, library, reading room, 

 storage and preparation rooms, laboratories and lecture 

 rooms. It was erected in 1899 with funds bequeathed to the 

 City by the late John Thomson, Esq. , an adopted citizen and 

 merchant of Charleston, whose memory will be perpetuated 

 by a tablet to be placed in the hall of the new Museum. 

 Under the contract with the City it is provided that this in- 

 stitution, for nearly a century and a half identified with the 

 learned societies and scientific activity of the City, will con- 

 tinue to be administered by the Trustees of the College of 

 Charleston and will hereafter be known as The Charleston 

 Museum. 



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