Museum of York County

The Museum of York County explores local and regional cultural and natural history. The museum features a natural history exhibit called Ice Age Carolinas: Exploring our Pleistocene Past; a planetarium; a hands-on exhibit area called the Naturalist Center; an exhibit comparing the region's current and past landscape; a learning area for young children called Tot Town; and a short loop nature trail. There are also dioramas with African animals on display. The museum offers changing exhibits as well. The Naturalist Center contains over 2,000 specimens and the planetarium is the only one of its kind in the region.

The museum opened in 1950 as the Children's Nature Museum of Rock Hill. It was established by an organization called the Junior Welfare League, which wanted to give local children an opportunity to learn about cultural and natural history. Two years later, the museum presented the first-known exhibit of Catawba Indian pottery, including works by contemporary potters. The museum acquired the African animal collection in the late 1950s, which prompted the construction of the present, larger building in 1965 to put the animals on display. The planetarium opened in 1977 and the next year the museum acquired the art collection of Vernon Grant, who created "Snap, Crackle, and Pop" characters of Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal. An exhibit about his life and work is located in the Lowenstein Building on White Street in Rock Hill.

"History." The Museum of York County. Accessed June 28, 2021. http://chmuseums.org/history-myco.

"Museum of York County." The Museum of York County. Accessed June 28, 2021. http://chmuseums.org/myco.