GREENVILLE — Do you know who founded Greenville? Did you know Furman University is 200 years old? The Greenville County Historical Society covers those topics and more during its 2026-27 lecture series.

The nonprofit recently announced the topics, speakers and dates for its third annual lecture series, which features a variety of topics. From Greenville’s past to the history of the Black community in Greenville, the series explores those topics across nine months.

The first lecture takes place Sept. 16 from 6:30-8 p.m. Guest speaker Courtney Hartness hosts “Furman at 200,” where she explores how the history of Furman University and Greenville intersect. Other speakers include John Nolan, Robert Benedict, Tevin Smith and Dora Impson.

The program committee prepares for the series by selecting topics and looking for speakers who fit those selections.

“The exciting thing about this year is there are a lot of new faces here,” Executive Director Russell Stall said. “And I’m excited about it because they aren’t all historians, but they’re bringing in their life experiences to show us how history has shaped the things that they’re interested in.”

Stall said the series aims to get people interested in the county’s history.

“I think people in Greenville are hungry to know more about this community. We have a lot of newcomers that are here that know nothing about Greenville’s past, and I think part of our role as a society is to get people excited about how our future’s being shaped by the past.”

The Historical Society holds a collection dating back to the 1880s, including photographs, documents, maps, newspapers and more. It also has an extensive photograph collection.

GCHS is at 644 E. Washington St. Each lecture is held at the Downtown Presbyterian Church, 435 W. Washington St. Lectures take place every third Wednesday. Admission is free for members and costs $15 for nonmembers. Tickets must be purchased in advance.