Jessie E. Etheredge, Sr.

Jessie Elijah Etheredge, Sr. passed away on September 16, 2026 following a brief illness. Jessie was born in Leesville, SC November 4, 1943 to the late George William Etheredge and Queen Esther Bryant Etheredge. In addition to Jessie, they had 5 other children: Joe, Jeannette, Jim (Sonny), John and JoAnne. On August 16, 1966, Jessie married the love of his life, Lula Bell “Lu” Gary. She passed away just a few months before their 50th wedding anniversary. Jessie and Lu were blessed with 2 children, Jessie (J.J.) Etheredge, Jr. and Jacqueline (Jackie) Etheredge.

Jessie was educated at Twin Cities High School in Leesville and graduated in 1961. Following his graduation, he enlisted in the United States Army and while serving achieved the rank of Sargeant. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division. Following his military service, he became a police officer for the city of Columbia, SC.

The majority of Jessie’s work career was spent at the SC Department of Mental Health (DMH) where he worked for over 27 years. He began as an investigator and at the time of his retirement was serving as their Chief of Security. One of the functions of his job was conducting investigative work throughout the state for cases involving patients’ mental health issues. In 1972 during his travels for work, Jessie began visiting antique shops and collecting artifacts of interest to him. He found many interesting African artifacts and other items relating to Black history and Midlands history and this quickly grew into a full-fledged hobby. After retiring he worked part-time at an antique shop in Lexington, SC and found more memorabilia that he purchased and brought home.

He and Lu initially set up things in their living room, but it became so crowded they had to get a storage shed. Eventually as his collection grew, Lu encouraged him to build a separate building next door to their home to store the collection. His family began to refer to his building as “Jessie’s museum.” The idea of turning it into a “real” museum began as a challenge from his sister, JoAnne. His goal was to create an educational opportunity for children who did not know about slavery and the Jim Crow era and to enable them to see firsthand some of the post-civil war artifacts that were a part of our American history.

In September of 2014, Jesse incorporated his museum under the name “The Real McCoy of SC.” He wanted to be sure that his assets were protected and preserved for the family and the public for educational purposes. He wanted to create a foundation upon which the immediate, short-term, and long-term goals of his dream could become a reality for all people and especially for African Americans.

In early 2023 Jessie & his siblings began discussing what he wanted to happen with his collection after his death. The decision was made to create a Board of Directors, with Jessie as president, to manage and preserve the assets of the collection. At that time, the museum’s name was changed to “The Etheredge Family’s Museum of History & Culture”.

Just prior to his death, the Board and Jessie’s children, with Jessie’s approval, decided to donate a significant number of the museum’s artifacts to the new SC Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg. Per Cecil Williams, the founder of that museum, Jessie’s “work reflects not only the dedication of a serious collector, but also the vision and discipline of a true historian and guardian of our heritage.” Jessie was a very humble man, who did not brag about his accomplishments. But he possessed an extraordinary amount of knowledge – in fact, you could point to any one of the over 2,000 items in his collection and he could tell you a story about it. We know Jessie will be smiling down when the doors of the Civil Rights Museum open and pieces from his collection are on display.

Jessie leaves to cherish his memory his son, Jessie Etheredge, Jr.; daughter, Jacqueline Etheredge; brothers James Etheredge and Johnny Etheredge; brothers-in-law, Robert Lewis, Sr., Randy Gary, Jerry Gary; sisters-in-law, Annie Mae Callahan, Catherine Strong; nieces Lorna Etheredge, Jessica Miles (Reggie), Kenya Lewis, Tressa Montgomery, LaChar Montgomery, Adrian O’Bannon; nephews Rodney Gantt (Patricia), Chris Lewis (Felicia), Robert Lewis, Jr., Donny Gary; and a host of other relatives and friends.