Conference Venue
May Forest State Park
424 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, 29412
All presentations and poster sessions will be hosted at May Forest State Park, located on historic James Island. May Forest State Park is located at the end of Fort Johnson Road and consists of 23 acres that were once owned by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy. The congregation dates back nearly two centuries in Charleston.
The group ran a school for free children of color in the 1840s, cared for both Union and Confederate wounded soldiers during the Civil War, founded the hospital that would evolve into the Roper St. Francis Healthcare system, and ran social service organizations that helped those facing poverty. The park is rich in history, dating back to the Archaic Stage, and maintains sweeping views of the Charleston skyline and harbor, offering a beautiful perspective of the city.
Conference Schedule
Thursday, August 20th
| 5:00 – 7:30 PM | Charleston’s History Happy Hour Reception |
Friday, August 21st
| 8:00 – 9:00 AM | Conference Registration and Coffee Hour |
| 9:00 – 11:00 AM | Curiosities and Oddities: An Artifact Workshop |
| 11:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch – On Your Own |
| 1:30 – 3:30 PM | Perspectives, Practice, and Inevitability: A Conversation |
| TBD | Conference Welcome Reception – Stay Tuned! |
Saturday, August 22nd
| 8:00 – 9:00 AM | Conference Registration and Coffee Hour |
| 9:00 – 9:30 AM | Conference Welcome and Introduction |
| 9:30 – 11:00 AM | Morning Session: Paper and Poster Presentations |
| 11:00 – 11:30 AM | May Forest Heritage Room Tour I |
| 11:00 – 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 – 1:30 PM | May Forest Heritage Room Tour II |
| 1:30 – 3:00 PM | Afternoon Session: Paper and Poster Presentations |
| 3:30 – 4:00 PM | SECHSA 2026 Business Meeting |
Conference Events & Workshops
History Happy Hour Reception – Thursday Evening
If you arrive in town early, consider attending the next Charleston History Happy Hour event as we kick off this year’s SECHSA conference. Starting around 5:00 PM, this informal event will be hosted at the Brockington and Associates’ Archaeology Lab in West Ashley (1816 Belgrade Ave., Unit B, Charleston, 29407). Light snacks, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic options provided.
Curiosities and Oddities: An Artifact Workshop – Friday Morning
Do you have an unidentified artifact to show and tell? A class of objects you are uncertain how to catalog or interpret? A strange decoration mode? The stories connected to such objects are usually just as unique as the artifacts. We will spend our morning sharing and discussing the strange and unexpected aspects of archaeological material culture.
Perspectives, Practice, and Inevitability: A Conversation – Friday Afternoon
With such dynamic archaeological and historical records, Charleston represents a difficult past that merges with an ever-changing skyline and population mired in overwhelming commercial and residential development. After lunch, a facilitated conversation focusing on cemetery protection themes for members of the SECHSA community to engage in critical dialogues among colleagues in the Southeast.
Conference Reception – Friday TBD
Details coming soon; stay tuned!