For Immediate Release:
November 18, 2025
Contact:
Olivia Mitchell
Marketing Manager
Culture & Heritage Museums
www.chmuseums.org
803.909.7244
Christmas Candlelight Tours Return for the Holiday Season
McCONNELLS, S.C. –A beloved holiday tradition, Christmas Candlelight Tours returns for the season Dec. 12, 13, and 14 from 3-9 p.m. each evening at Historic Brattonsville.
Stroll the candlelit paths of 1841, led by historically dressed tour guides as you experience the story and legacy of Catharine Ladd, who began teaching Dr. Bratton’s daughters in 1840. Ladd not only taught sewing, needlepoint, and painting, but also reading, writing, and arithmetic, empowering the Bratton girls with knowledge and skills that were rare for young women of the time. Beyond teaching, Catharine Ladd was also known as a poet, author, and entrepreneur, leaving a lasting mark on the Brattonsville community. Visitors will get a sneak peek inside the restored Brattonsville Female Seminary where Ladd taught during the tours. (The building will not be open to the public until spring 2026.)
Along with guided tours, guests enjoy a variety of festive family activities. Try your hand at candle-dipping, making a cornhusk doll (additional $1 charge applies on Sat. and Sun.), and coloring a keepsake Christmas greeting card. Father Christmas strolls the grounds as cheerful sounds of a live brass band waft through the crisp evening air. Browse holiday gifts in the gift shop and from featured regional artisans, including Glassblower Phil Gilson, and Sweetgrass Basket Weaver, Deadra Johnson. Warm up with seasonal refreshments available for purchase on the lawn.
The weekend starts with a special members-only evening on Friday, just for Culture & Heritage Museums members. Members who wish to bring guests, can upgrade to a Donor Membership Level, which includes guest passes. At Member’s Night, everyone can enjoy complimentary concessions including, toasty grilled cheese, warm tomato soup, hoop cheese and crackers, fresh popcorn, hot cocoa and toppings, s’mores, and creamy fudge. Members and their guests will also get a 2025 keepsake coloring ornament and visit with Father Christmas in a cozy, country setting. Members are also welcome to visit on Sat. and Sun. Dec. 13-14. On Sat. and Sun. members who wish to bring guests can either buy tickets for their guests or use their guest passes.
Christmas Candlelight Tours are timed and pre-registration is strongly encouraged as tickets sell out quickly.
WHAT: Christmas Candlelight Tours
WHERE: Historic Brattonsville 1444 Brattonsville Rd. McConnells, S.C. 29726.
* Historic Brattonsville will be closed to the public until 3 p.m. Dec. 12-14 and Brattonsville Road will be closed from 2:45 p.m. until 9 p.m. during the event.
WHEN: Dec. 12-14 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.
TICKETS: chmuseums.org/event/cct/
*Visitors should arrive 30 minutes prior to their scheduled tour time.
VISITOR SERVICES: 803.684.2327
IMAGES:
- Father Christmas greets visitors with a smile and maybe even a piece of candy for good girls and boys!
- Strolling carolers singing at Christmas Candlelight
All images courtesy of Culture & Heritage Museums. Contact omitchell@chmuseums.org for high resolution images.
About Historic Brattonsville:
Historic Brattonsville is a living history site that presents the agricultural and social history of the Carolina Piedmont from the American Revolution through the Reconstruction Era. The site features over 30 historic structures, including family houses, that provide the setting for the story of the Brattons, those enslaved on the plantation, and the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground, the final resting place of 481 people of African descent. The site spreads over 800-acres and comprises farmed land with heritage breed animals, a Revolutionary War battlefield, and a nature preserve with miles of walking trails. Seasonal events, reenactments, and living history programs interpret life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Historic Brattonsville is included in The Green Book of South Carolina – a travel guide to African American cultural sites.
Museum Membership:
Become a Culture & Heritage Museums member and enjoy one year of exclusive benefits including free general admission to all CHM museum sites: Historic Brattonsville, Museum of York County and Main Street Children’s Museum. Membership helps support the work of preserving and communicating the cultural and natural history of the Carolina Piedmont. Consider becoming a CHM member and/or give the gift of CHM membership. Details at chmuseums.org/membership.
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