Artifacts from Greenville’s past to headline next GCHS lecture

GREENVILLE, SC – Get to put your hands on local history at the Greenville County Historical Society’s 2026-27 Lecture Series event in October.

John Nolan, owner of Greenville History Tours and the Society’s Board Chair, will be the guest lecturer.  Nolan will be bringing in pieces of local history from his own collections that date back almost 200 years. This includes letters from Joel Poinsett, coffee cups from the Civil War, and artifacts from the Swamp Rabbit Railroad. 

“It’s one thing to see great photos and hear interesting information about Greenville history, which you will experience, but it’s much more fun and memorable to hold dozens of pieces and artifacts from things 100 to 200 years ago,” Nolan said.

Nolan grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and drawing with a minor in history from Bowling Green State University. After further studio art studies at the Chautauqua Institution in New York and a summer studying art history in Florence, Italy, he came to Greenville in 1992 to earn a Master’s in Studio Art at Bob Jones University. For 20 years, Nolan has served as the curator of the world-renown collection of old masters at the Museum & Gallery at Bob Jones University. The combination of his research and tour giving experience at the Museum & Gallery, love of history and for the city of Greenville led to the establishment of Greenville History Tours in 2006 as the first tour company in Greenville.

In the years since, Nolan has given tours to well over 50,000 guests on historic walking tours, driving tours, and culinary tours. His tours have been featured in articles and media including NBC Washington, US Airline’s in-flight Spirit Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, Southern Living Magazine, New York Post, Money Magazine, the Boston Globe, and National Geographic Traveler

The Lecture Series brings together eminent historians to speak on key topics that helped shaped Greenville. The first event will be held on Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Downtown Presbyterian, 435 W. Washington Street.

The cost is $15 for non-Society members. Free for Society members. Learn more at greenvillehistory.org/lectures-and-events-new.

About The Greenville County Historical Society:

The Greenville County Historical Society exists to preserve, protect, and share the history of Greenville County for future generations.  Formed in 1962, the Society is committed to ensuring that Greenville’s history is not lost. Learn more at greenvillehistory.org.