Seneca South Carolina's Premier Cultural Exhibit Museum focusing on local African American History and Culture.
The museum concept began in 2008, as the brainchild of City Administrator Greg Dietterick. Upon learning about the African American higher education institute, Seneca Junior College, that was located in Seneca from 1899 to 1939, Mr. Dietterick realized that there was a “story to tell” about the local African American community. Eight years in the making, the Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum officially opened with the exhibit entitled, THE WAYMAKERS, on February 12, 2016.
The Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum will be an inclusive cultural institution underscoring the rich, colorful, turbulent story and impact of the local African American community. The museum will work with its established advisory panel, the BLSCM Preservation Group, to 1) honor the lives, accomplishments, contributions, diversity, and struggles of our African American ancestry; 2) ensure the integrity and authenticity of the stories and history; 3) educate the community on our impact on society through inclusion and open dialogue; and, 4) elevate a sense of self, dignity, and merit in present and future generations of our community.
