Thanks to the vision of a very special group of local citizens, Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site, today a 107-acre outdoor museum complex, was one of the first major preservation initiatives in Kershaw County and the state. The seeds for it creation emerged from a project begun by the Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce in 1966 in anticipation of the 1976 Bi-centennial.
 In 1967, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lloyd, dedicated local philanthropists, contributed land and seed money to establish the Camden District Heritage Foundation (CDHF), a 501 (c) non-profit organization whose purpose was to preserve, restore, research and, ideally, interpret properties of historical interest in SC, particularly Kershaw County, through the purchase or donation of properties. The original life-appointed trustees were Dick Lloyd, Lanning Risher, Henry Savage, Bill Wilson, Joe Jenkins, James Anderson, Henry Boykin, Austin Sheheen, Mary âTeeneâ DuVal, and Roderick Cantey.  At Mr. Lloydâs urging the trustees agreed to acquire the site of the old Camden Magazine and related Revolutionary War-era land parcels, and, âif feasible, a portion of such holdings would be used for a museumâ (1967 Deed of Trust).
The CDHF began purchasing said parcels to create a museum but quickly realized that to receive the abundant bi-centennial state and federal funds a governmental governing body was needed. The Foundation lobbied the SC Legislature to create a nine-person commission comprised of Kershaw County residents to be governed by the City of Camden, with term appointments recommended by the commission and approved by the city and the governor. Â Created in 1969, the Camden Historical Commission (CHC) was designated the governing body of Historic Camden, its mission, purpose and day-to-day operations. The CDHF would serve as an advisory/funding arm to the museum that could also receive land and other relevant gifts to the museum.
