News

August 28, 2018 - Clemson Media Relations-
State maritime archaeologists move into Clemson’s Warren Lasch Conservation Center
NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Last month, SCIAA moved its Charleston field offices to the Warren Lasch Conservation Center on Clemson University’s Restoration Institute campus.
May 17, 2018 - Clemson Media Relations-
The high-pressure business of historic preservation at Clemson’s Warren Lasch Conservation Center
NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Father time has always been a tough opponent. But Clemson University researchers are giving him a run for his money.
June 13, 2017 - University of Montana-
UM Research Center Conserves Gun from Famed Sunken Battleship
The Center for Integrated Research on the Environment (CIRE) at the University of Montana has been tasked with restoring a gun from the USS Maine, the historic warship that sank in 1898.
August 24, 2016 - Clemson Media Relations-
Gun from battleship USS Maine to be restored at Clemson conservation center
NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina — Conservators with Clemson University have been tasked with bringing back to life yet another gun from an historic warship.
March 24, 2016 - Clemson Media Relations-
Clemson scientists seek to partner with Cubans to conserve, preserve cultural heritage
CHARLESTON, South Carolina — A new era of communication and collaboration between the United States and Cuba is under way, and researchers at Clemson University are in the first wave.
March 24, 2016 - The Associated Press-
SC schools eye helping preserve Cuba's architecture
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Clemson University is exploring a program that would allow faculty and students to help preserve Cuba's architectural heritage.
December 1, 2015 - Ft Sumter NPS Instagram-
In situ treatment of one of the 15" Rodman cannon begins
Conservators from the WLCC began work to help conserve artifacts for future generations to enjoy.
October 1, 2015 - 
Live 5 News -
Archaeologists pluck 3 Civil War cannons from the Pee Dee River
Archaeologists from the University of South Carolina have pulled three cast iron Civil War cannons from the waters of a South Carolina river where they were hidden for 150 years.
CNN -
Three Civil War cannons pulled from South Carolina river
Salvors who picked over a Civil War gunboat probably thought the cannons were with the rest of the wreckage in a South Carolina river. Instead, three mighty artillery pieces belonging to the CSS Pee Dee were back upstream.
January 22, 2015 - Friends of the Hunley -
The World's First Successful Combat Submarine Almost Fully Visible
For the first time in over 150 years, you can actually see the Hunley. Until recently the submarine was completely covered in concretion. Nearly 70% of the submarine's exterior has been revealed and conservators hope to complete the outside of the submarine in the coming weeks.
November 4, 2014 - US Navy -
Gun's Conservation Ensures Navy Will Always 'Remember the Maine'
Conservators from Clemson University working with the Naval History and Heritage Command conducted an assessment of a century-old, 6-inch, 30 caliber gun at the Washington Navy Yard's Willard Park in preparation for a conservation of the artifact that was once part of a storied warship.
August 12, 2014 - The Post and Courier -
Scientists to begin exposing the "real" Hunley
If the H.L. Hunley has any secrets left, they are about to be exposed.
July 28, 2014 - Fort Sumter National Monument -
Adopt-A-Cannon Program
Help preserve one of the most significant and unique Civil War cannon collections in the world!
July 2, 2014 - CSS Alabama artifacts returned to US Navy - 
CSS Alabama Artifacts Preserved
CSS Alabama Project Page
The Warren Lasch Conservation Center has been conserving artifacts recovered from the CSS Alabama (1863) shipwreck for the US Navy since 2001. In June 2014, they were returned to the Navy.
June 25, 2014 - Fort Sumter News Release - 
Original Revolutionary War Era Cannon on Display at Fort Moultrie in Time for Carolina Day Observance
Fort Sumter National Monument has added a new cannon to its world class collection.
May 23, 2014 - Collaboration with the Peruvian Ministry of Culture -
Ministry of Culture provided training in techniques applied to archaeological research
Underwater Robots Searching for Treasures in Peru (El Comercio - article in Spanish)
WLCC Scientists were invited by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture & UNESCO to participate in a two day workshop. They lectured on analytical techniques for cultural heritage as well as introduced new technologies to conserve both organic and inorganic materials.
May 1, 2014 - WCBD-TV News 2 -
New phase begins preserving Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley
Conservators at the WLCC are for the first time putting the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley in a chemical bath designed to remove salts and encrustation from the hull of the hand-cranked sub.
May 1, 2014 - The Post and Courier -
Hunley finally ready to reveal itself
The H.L. Hunley may not hide its secrets for much longer.
August 17, 2013 - Announcing Upcoming Conferences in September - 
Metal 2013 & Big Stuff Conference 2013
September has a few big conferences on conservation worth attending: Metal 2013 hosted in Edinburgh, Scotland from September 16-20 will cover a broad array of topics in metal conservation, restoration, and preservation. Big Stuff Conference will be hosted in Ottawa, Canada September 25-27, featuring talks, workshops, and discussions covering the challenges and triumphs of conserving large technology heritage sites and objects. Check them out!
June 17, 2013 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek -
Conservation for big guns that opened Civil War
Conservators are using high tech methods to protect cannons fired on Fort Sumter to open the war in April 1861.
June 3, 2013 - Fort Sumter News Release -
Historic Cannons' Return to Fort Moultrie Marks the End of a Major Preservation Project

Cannons to be returned to public display at Fort Moultrie after undergoing conservation treatment.
Spring 2013 - Glimpse -
This time, the foe is corrosion

Pages 8 & 9. Discusses the challenges of  preserving shells, cannons, and other iron artifacts that are constantly exposed to the elements outdoors.
February 1, 2013 - South Carolina Living -
Deep Secrets
A team of scientists has spent the last 12 years trying to solve one of the greatest mysteries of the Civil War: What happened to the H.L. Hunley? A newly restored artifact may unlock the answer.
January 23, 2013 - The Journal of Supercritical Fluids -
Conservation of Waterlogged Archaeological Corks Using Supercritical CO2 and Treatment Monitoring using Structured-light 3D Scanning 
Discusses the successful application of supercritical CO2 drying technique to conservation of waterlogged cork with less time consuming drying techniques than traditional methods currently in use in conservation.
January 7, 2013 - The Journal of Supercritical Fluids -
The applicability of subcritical fluids to the conservation of actively corroding iron artifacts of cultural significance
Since 2003, over 150 experiments using subcritical fluids for the stabilization of metallic cultural heritage have been carried out using 2 reactors at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center (WLCC) in Charleston, South Carolina. The results of the testing have been particularly encouraging for samples and artifacts made of iron and its alloys.
October 2, 2012 - APTI -
Corrosion Mitigation Challenges: Metals Recovered from a Marine Environment

Explore how conservators, archaeologists and scientists at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center (WLCC) mitigate metal corrosion challenges encountered when dealing with artifacts recovered from marine environments.
Fall 2012 - Glimpse -
Learning from the H.L. Hunley

From the crucible of desperation, the South forged an improbable secret weapon: a hand-cranked attack boat. The H.L. Hunley was designed to do what no vessel in the world had ever done: sink a warship from beneath the waves.