Founded in 1985, the Beech Island Historical Society became a leading force in preserving the history of Beech Island and Aiken County through a museum, visitor center, and public programs. Under first president Harold Maness, it organized the Beech Island Tricentennial Celebration in 1986, drawing more than 10,000 visitors, and later sustained community interest with Beech Island Heritage Day for 20 straight years, ending in 2006. A donated acre, warehouse, and meeting hall in 1991 gave it a permanent home, and its visitor center won a state Progress Award in 1998. In 2005, a federal grant helped transform a circa 1900 cottonseed barn into an agricultural museum tied to the area’s farming past.