The Lexington County Museum, founded in 1970, offers a rare and unforgettable experience – the chance to see and touch a way of life gone forever. Structures and furnishings focus on the early history of Lexington County and interpret the everyday lives of its residents from ca. 1770 until the Civil War. The Museum complex, located in the heart of Lexington, encompasses seven acres and features 36 historic structures. Exhibits focus on locally made artifacts including furniture and quilts.
Some of the historic structures include the original Lexington County post office, the oldest documented house in Lexington, and the house where the traditional song "Give Me That Old Time Religion" was composed. Most notable among the buildings is the ten-room, two-story John Fox House that was built in 1832. Originally a plantation home, the John Fox House is furnished and decorated with period pieces from Lexington County that truly evoke pre-Civil War living conditions. At one time, over 50 people lived on the Fox House grounds (then encompassing 400 acres) that included a separate kitchen, a spinning room with a loom, and slaves' quarters. Now, the Fox House is open to the public to see how residents lived in the mid-nineteenth century.
The Museum serves as an invaluable educational tool by promoting the county's history and attracting school groups, many of which annually take tours of its grounds and buildings. It is a place where the citizens of Lexington County may take pride in their heritage and form a more closely-knit community through a heightened knowledge of their history.
