The story of the rice culture in Georgetown County is captured here. Through maps, dioramas, artifacts and other exhibits, visitors to the museum gain a knowledge and understanding of a society based on one crop. The museum is located in the Old Market Building, erected in 1842 and the first Georgetown structure to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the adjacent Maritime History Gallery is Brown's Ferry Vessel, a 50' river freighter built in 1710, sunk around 1730 and the oldest boat in North America. Other exhibits include history of the Kaminski Hardware Company; Gullah history of the S.C. low country; Miss Ruby Forsythe, one of South Carolina's great educators; and Joseph Hayne Rainey, the first African American elected to the U.S. Congress. Visitors are invited to browse in the Museum Gift Shop and the Prevost Gallery, which provides interesting exhibits of art and history on a revolving basis.