Reconstruction (1866-1876)
149 highway markers.
Aiken County
- 02-08Aiken CountyAiken County, created in 1871 from parts of Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, and Orangeburg counties, was named for Willi...
- 02-79Aiken CountyAs early as the 1820s, residents in this part of S.C. sought to create a new county due to the need for a local courthou...
- 02-71Friendship Baptist ChurchThis is one of the oldest historically Black churches in Aiken. It was organized in 1866 by formerly enslaved members of...
- 02-42Highland Park HotelThe Highland Park Hotel, Aiken’s first grand tourist hotel, stood atop this plateau. It was built in 1869-70 and opened ...
- 02-59Providence Baptist ChurchProvidence Baptist Church was established by enslaved and free people of African descent in the town of Hamburg. After t...
- 02-19Schofield SchoolThis school was founded by the Freedmen's Bureau shortly after the Civil War to educate freedmen, women, and children. I...
- 02-13Site of EllentonPost office est. here 1873. Town chartered 1880. Ellenton and surrounding area purchased by US Govt in early 1950s for e...
- 02-15Storm Branch Baptist ChurchThis church had its origins at or near this site in 1772 as a plantation chapel, in what was Edgefield District until af...
- 02-45The Hamburg MassacreThe Hamburg Massacre, which occurred nearby on July 8, 1876, was one of the most notable incidents of racial and politic...
Allendale County
Anderson County
- 04-24African American School SiteThe one-room frame public school, organized shortly after the Civil War, housed 76 students and 1 teacher by 1870. The s...
- 04-53Mt. Sinai United Methodist Church and CemeteryThis is the original site of Mt. Sinai United Methodist Church, an historically African American congregation organized ...
Barnwell County
- 06-10Bethlehem Baptist ChurchThis church, officially organized in 1868, had its origins in the antebellum Barnwell Baptist Church, which was located ...
- 06-16Macedonia Baptist ChurchThis church, the first African-American Baptist church in Barnwell County, was founded in 1866 when Rev. James T. Tolber...
Beaufort County
- 07-70Beaufort Colored SchoolBeaufort Colored School opened at this site in 1867. The school was housed in a two-story frame residence acquired by th...
- 07-64Campbel Chapel A.M.E.Built in 1853, this was originally Bluffton Methodist Episcopal church. Organized by whites, the church’s 216 members in...
- 07-57Cyrus GarvinLittle is known of Cyrus Garvin’s early life. He was likely born into slavery, possibly on a plantation of the Baynard f...
- 07-73First Zion Baptist ChurchThis congregation organized around the time of the Civil War to serve formerly enslaved African Americans living in the ...
- 07-76Grace Chapel A.M.E. ChurchGrace Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church formally organized in 1869 and was initially called Beaufort A....
- 07-16Mather SchoolShortly after the Civil War, Mather School was founded here by Rachel Crane Mather of Boston. In 1882 the Woman's Americ...
Berkeley County
Calhoun County
- 09-14Bethel A.M.E. Church and SchoolBethel A.M.E. Church was established in 1865 and held its early services under a brush arbor. Bethel was the first A.M.E...
- 09-09Mount Pleasant Baptist ChurchThe first church built by African Americans at Fort Motte grew out of services held by slaves at nearby Bellville, Goshe...
- 09-17Mt. Carmel Baptist ChurchOrganized in 1870 by freed slaves, this Baptist congregation is said to have first met in a brush arbor before temporari...
Charleston County
- 10-132Beefield CommunityBeefield is one of a number of James Island communities founded after the Civil War by formerly enslaved African America...
- 10-100Constitutional Convention of 1868In January 1868 delegates met to rewrite the S.C. Constitution. They convened at the Charleston Club House, which once s...
- 10-152Ebenezer A.M.E. ChurchEbenezer African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) is the oldest church congregation in the Town of Lincolnville. In 1874 tru...
- 10-37Laing SchoolLaing School, located here from 1868 to 1953, was founded in 1866 by Cornelia Hancock, a Quaker who had served as a nurs...
- 10-41Liberty HillLiberty Hill, established in 1871, is the oldest community in what is now North Charleston. In 1864 Paul and Harriet Tre...
- 10-103LincolnvilleThe Town of Lincolnville was founded in 1867 by seven African American leaders: Daniel Adger, Marc Buffett, Rev. Richard...
- 10-155Payne Reformed Methodist Union Episcopal ChurchPayne Reformed Methodist Union Episcopal (R.M.U.E.) Church organized in the 1870s. Tradition holds that early members, i...
- 10-86Plymouth ChurchIn 1867 over 100 African Americans, most former members of the Circular Church, founded Plymouth Church, among the oldes...
- 10-96Simeon Pinckney HomesteadSimeon Pinckney, who was born a slave in Manning, S.C., enlisted in the 3rd S.C. Inf. (Colored) in 1863, and also served...
- 10-125St. Peter's A.M.E. ChurchOrganized c.1867 by Rev. Caesar Smalls, St. Peter’s African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church is the oldest-known reli...
- 10-44The Parsonage“The Parsonage,” the home of Rev. James B. Middleton (1839-1918), stood here at 5 Short Court (now President’s Place) un...
Chester County
- 12-10Brainerd InstituteThis institute grew out of an 1866 school for freedmen; it became Brainerd Institute in 1868 when the Board of Missions ...
- 12-14Old Zion A.M.E. Zion ChurchOld Zion Church formally organized by 1873. It was originally located 2 mi. E on Goings Rd. where it shared a cemetery w...
Chesterfield County
- 13-08Pee Dee Union Baptist ChurchThis church, formally organized in 1867, had its origins in Cheraw Baptist Church, founded in 1837. Shortly after the Ci...
- 13-12Thomas E. Lucas HouseThis two-story house with a central-hall plan was built about 1868 for Dr. Thomas Ephraim Lucas (1836-1920), physician, ...
Clarendon County
- 14-18Ebenezer Baptist ChurchThis church was founded about 1869 by Mary Scott “Aunt Mary” Harvin, and held its first services in a nearby brush arbor...
- 14-13Mt. Zion A.M.E. ChurchThis church, organized about 1865, held its early services in a nearby brush arbor but built a permanent sanctuary here ...
- 14-17Trinity A.M.E. ChurchThis church was founded soon after the Civil War by 50 freedmen and women who held their first services in a stable dona...
Colleton County
Darlington County
- 16-90Bethesda Baptist ChurchBethesda Baptist Church organized in 1867 when African American members of Welsh Neck Baptist Church were granted dismis...
- 16-91Cherry Grove Baptist ChurchFormer members of Swift Ceek Baptist Church (3 mi. W) founded this church in 1869, later adopting the name “Cherry Grove...
- 16-44Fair Hope Presbyterian ChurchThis church was organized in 1872 by Harmony Presbytery with Capt. Joseph Commander (1800-1883) as its first elder. This...
- 16-74Jerusalem Baptist ChurchThis church, organized soon after the Civil War, is one of the oldest African-American churches in Darlington County. It...
- 16-66John Wesley Methodist ChurchThis church, founded about 1865, is the first African-American church in Lamar and was long known as Lamar Colored Metho...
- 16-15Macedonia ChurchTradition says first meetings of this Baptist Church were held in the home of Laura Brown. A house of worship was constr...
- 16-64Mt. Zion Baptist ChurchThis church, founded in 1869, was organized by 36 black members of nearby Black Creek Baptist Church, who received lette...
- 16-88Pleasant Grove ChurchThis church was organized in 1869 by Rev. Dnaiel Jesse. Members first met under a brush arbor before building a small wo...
- 16-58Society Hill DepotThis depot, built shortly after the Civil War, features a distinctive architectural design favored by the Cheraw & Darli...
- 16-16St. James ChurchThis United Methodist Church was originally named Pearl Street Methodist Episcopal Church. The first trustees were Henry...
- 16-76St. John Methodist ChurchThe first meetings of what would become St. John Methodist Church took place under a brush arbor. The congregation compl...
Dillon County
- 17-18Kentyre Presbyterian ChurchKentyre Presbyterian Church traces its origins to meetings held in the home of Peggy Edwards in the 1860s. The congregat...
- 17-07Saint Paul Methodist ChurchThis church was established prior to 1803 and was known as Liberty Chapel. The present structure, built in 1871, is sign...
Dorchester County
Edgefield County
- 19-12JohnstonJohnston, founded in 1868 as Johnston's Station on the Charlotte, Columbia, & Augusta Railroad and also known as Johnson...
- 19-24Macedonia Baptist ChurchOrganized in 1869 with the support of Edgefield Village Baptist Church, this first African American church in Edgefield ...
- 19-16Mt. Canaan Baptist ChurchThis church, founded in 1868, was one of the first black Baptist churches in this area. Alexander Bettis (1836-1895), a ...
- 19-23Mt. Pleasant Baptist ChurchMt. Pleasant Baptist Church was organized in 1869 when the African American members of Philippi Baptist Church requested...
Fairfield County
- 20-25Blackjack Baptist ChurchThis congregation was founded around 1870, mainly by Black former slaves of members of nearby Fairfield Baptist Church. ...
- 20-21St. Paul Baptist ChurchThis African American church was organized in 1873 by Simon McIntosh, Henry Golden, Lily Yarborough, Frances Kelly, Lizz...
Florence County
- 21-22JamestownThis African American community, which flourished here for 70 years, has its origins in a 105-acre tract bought in 1870 ...
- 21-17Mt. Zion Methodist ChurchThis church, founded in 1868 with Rev. James Wesley Johnson as its first minister, held its early services in a brush ar...
- 21-24The Assassination of Rep. Alfred RushAlfred Rush (d. 1876), a black state representative for two terms during Reconstruction, was assassinated near here, abo...
- 21-31Wilson SchoolWilson School, later Wilson High School, was the first public school in Florence, and stood here from 1866 to 1906. At f...
Georgetown County
- 22-66James A. BowleyIn the 1870s, this was the home of James Alfred Bowley (c.1844-1891). Born enslaved in Maryland, Bowley was the great ne...
- 22-37Joseph Hayne RaineyThis National Historic Landmark was the family home of Joseph H. Rainey, the first African American elected to the US Ho...
- 22-55Mt. Olive Baptist ChurchThis church was founded in 1866 by Rev. James Smalls, its pastor for many years. The congregation, which built its sanct...
- 22-65St. John A.M.E. ChurchSt. John A.M.E. Church was established in the spring of 1867 with Rev. Saby Green as the first pastor. Early meetings we...
Greenville County
- 23-72Buncombe Street Methodist ChurchAs early as 1800 Bishop Francis Asbury, founder of American Methodism, rode circuit in the S.C. upcountry, spreading the...
- 23-76Little TexasWilliam E. Earle acquired much of the land now bounded by Beattie Pl., N. Church, Academy, and E. North Sts. at a forecl...
- 23-56Old Pilgrim Baptist ChurchThis church was founded in 1868 by black members of nearby Clear Spring Baptist Church who named their new church Pilgri...
- 23-58Springfield Baptist ChurchThis is the oldest black Baptist congregation in downtown Greenville. It was founded in 1867 by members of Greenville Ba...
- 23-54Suber's MillFour generations of the Suber family have owned and operated a water-powered grist mill on Princess Creek, a branch of t...
Greenwood County
Hampton County
- 25-11Hickory Grove Baptist Church and CemeteryThis church, founded by 1869 with Rev. G.D. Kinard as its first pastor and 22 charter members, was admitted to the Barnw...
- 25-23Huspah Baptist Church and SchoolHuspah Baptist Church was organized c. 1873. The congregation first met in the homes of church members before erecting a...
- 25-07Morrison AcademyIn old Lawtonville Community, across from this site, was the first Morrison Academy, a one-room elementary and college p...
- 25-02Town of BrunsonOn November 7, 1872, a post office was established in this community, named for William E. Brunson, Sr., who donated the...
Jasper County
- 27-26Cummingsville CemeteryCummingsville Cemetery dates to the 1870s when a group of freedmen formed the Cummingsville Society and purchased 10 acr...
- 27-21Oak Grove Baptist ChurchThis church was organized in 1870 by Revs. John D. Nix, W.H. Shuman, and Jonas Trowell. F.J. Bryan and A.W. Crosby were ...
- 27-14Pine Level Baptist ChurchThis church, organized on January 6, 1872 with Rev. M.H. Shuman as its first minister, held services in members' homes u...
- 27-20St. Matthew Baptist ChurchThis church was founded in 1870 with Rev. Plenty Pinckney as its first minister and worshipped in a “bush tent” nearby u...
Kershaw County
- 28-21Ephesus United Methodist ChurchEphesus United Methodist Church (U.M.C.) formally organized in 1869, when freed African Americans built a small frame ch...
- 28-24Mt. Moriah Baptist ChurchMt. Moriah Baptist Church was established in 1866 and is one of the oldest Black Baptist congregations in Kershaw County...
Lancaster County
- 29-22Clinton Memorial CemeteryMore than 300 members of Lancaster's black community are buried here, with the first grave dating to 1864. Originally th...
- 29-13Mt. Carmel CampgroundAccording to local tradition, this African Methodist Episcopal Zion Campground was established c.1870. Instrumental in o...
Laurens County
Lee County
Lexington County
Marion County
Marlboro County
Newberry County
Oconee County
- 37-25Bethel Colored Methodist Episcopal ChurchBethel Colored Methodist Episcopal (C.M.E.) was founded in 1876, likely by former slaves. Members built a small wood fra...
- 37-09Newberry College 1868-1877Newberry College, founded in 1856, moved here from Newberry in 1868 and remained in Walhalla until 1877, returning to Ne...
- 37-04SenecaFounded August 14, 1873, as "Seneca City," and chartered on March 14, 1874, the town of Seneca was named for an Indian v...
Orangeburg County
- 38-14Alexander S. Salley (1871-1961)Here was the birthplace of Alexander Samuel Salley, who devoted fifty years to the collection, preservation, and publica...
- 38-36Bushy Pond Baptist ChurchThis church was organized during or just after the Civil War by black members of Willow Swamp Baptist Church, a combined...
- 38-26Claflin CollegeClaflin College, founded in 1869 as Claflin University, is the oldest historically black college in S.C. and was establi...
- 38-24Trinity United Methodist ChurchThis African-American church, established in 1866, built its first sanctuary 4 blocks SE in 1870. Construction began on ...
- 38-30Williams Chapel A.M.E. ChurchThis church was founded in 1873 with Rev. Dave Christie as its first pastor. In 1877 trustees Emily A. Williams, Richard...
Pickens County
- 39-15Hagood-Mauldin HouseThis house, built ca. 1856, originally sat 14 mi. W in the town of Pickens Court House, then the seat of Pickens Distric...
- 39-30Soapstone Church & SchoolThis Baptist congregation likely dates to the 1870s and was organized by Rev. Joseph McJunkin to serve residents of Libe...
Richland County
- 40-147Benedict CollegeBenedict College, founded in 1870 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society to educate freedmen and their descendants...
- 40-150Bethel A.M.E. ChurchThis church, founded in 1866, was one of the first separate African-American congregations established in Columbia after...
- 40-118Calvary Baptist Church, 1865-1945Site of an African-American church organized in 1865 with Samuel Johnson as its first pastor. It met under a brush arbor...
- 40-100City HallCompleted in 1874, this superb example of renaissance revival architecture was built of local and Fairfield County grani...
- 40-112Early Howard School SiteOn this site stood Howard School, a public school for blacks established after the Civil War. By 1869 there was a two-st...
- 20-16Fairfield InstituteThis grade school and normal institute for blacks was founded in 1869 during Reconstruction by the Northern Presbyterian...
- 40-168Harriet Barber HouseIn 1872 Samuel Barber (d. 1891) and his wife Harriet (d. 1899), both former slaves, bought 42 1/2 acres here from the S....
- 40-111Howard School SiteEstablished after the Civil War, this public school for blacks was located at the NW corner of Hampton & Lincoln streets...
- 40-208Minton Family HomeThis Italianate-style home was built c. 1872 for Theophilus and Virginia McKee Minton. The Mintons were prominent Africa...
- 40-197New Light Beulah Baptist ChurchNew Light Beulah Baptist Church was organized in 1867 when 565 African American members withdrew from Beulah Baptist Chu...
- 40-232Palmetto Engine HouseThis 2-story brick building dates to 1867 and originally housed the Palmetto Fire Engine Co., a volunteer firefighting a...
- 40-228Pine Grove A.M.E. ChurchThis African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) congregation organized in 1868. Tradition holds that members first met under a...
- 40-133Randolph CemeteryRandolph Cemetery, founded in 1871, was one of the first black cemeteries in Columbia. It was named for Benjamin Frankli...
- 40-19Site of Carolina HallAfter Red Shirt campaign of 1876 Wade Hampton was inaugurated governor of South Carolina at Carolina Hall which stood in...
- 40-02Site of Parade GroundDuring Federal military occupation of South Carolina 1865-1877, this square was part of the parade ground used by United...
- 40-230St. James A.M.E. ChurchThis African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) church organized in 1871. In that year, five church trustees acquired this lot...
- 40-219St. Luke's Episcopal ChurchSt. Luke’s was the first Episcopal congregation in Columbia established for African Americans. Members began worshipping...
- 40-95St. Paul ChurchOne of the first black churches after the Civil War, St. Paul AME began as Oak Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church....
- 40-200Sylan BuildingThe Sylvan Building, built c. 1871, is attributed to prominent Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan. Distinguished by its...
- 40-222U.S.C. During ReconstructionPeople of African descent have been integral to the history of U.S.C. In the early days of the university enslaved peopl...
- 40-21Washington Street Methodist ChurchA church was built here between 1803 and 1805; another church, erected 1832, was burned by Union troops in 1865 and reco...
- 40-146Wesley Methodist ChurchWesley Methodist Church is the oldest African American Methodist congregation in Columbia. It was founded in 1869 by Rev...
- 40-69Wilson HouseBuilt by 1872, this house was the boyhood home of Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), twenty-eighth President of the United Stat...
- 40-186Zion Baptist ChurchZion Baptist Church first organized in 1865 and met in a humble dwelling on Gadsden St. The congregation moved to this s...
- 40-178Zion Chapel Baptist Church No. 1This African-American church was organized ca. 1865 when four men left Sandy Level Baptist Church, founded before the Re...
Sumter County
- 43-16Birthplace of Mary Mcleod BethuneThis noted humanitarian and educator was born five miles north of Mayesville, S.C., on July 10, 1875. She was one of the...
- 43-31Enon Baptist ChurchThis church was organized in 1872 by Rev. Benjamin Lawson and held early services in a brush arbor. The first sanctuary,...
- 43-54Goodwill SchoolGoodwill School was established by missionaries from the Northern Presbyterian Church shortly after the Civil War. The s...
- 43-39Mt. Zion Methodist ChurchThis church, with its origin in a brush arbor where services were held during the Civil War, was formally organized in 1...
- 43-29St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal ChurchThis congregation was organized before the Civil War and held its services in a brush arbor until 1875 when its trustees...
- 43-13The Sumter Institute 1867-1901A boarding school for girls located on the northeast corner of Washington and Calhoun Sts. Founded by Laura Fraser Brown...
- 43-56Tirzah Presbyterian ChurchIn 1876, residents of the Providence section of Sumter County organized Tirzah Presbyterian Church. They included member...
Union County
Williamsburg County
- 45-08Benjamin Britton Chandler (1854-1925)Active in the Red Shirt campaign which resulted in Gen. Wade Hampton's election as S.C. governor, 1876, Chandler later s...
- 45-14Mt. Zion A.M.E. ChurchThis church was founded in 1867 on land donated by Moses and Matilda Watson. It was the first African American church in...
York County
- 46-72Blue Branch ChurchBlue Branch Church was formally organized in 1870-71 as part of northern Presbyterians’ missions to southern freedpeople...
- 46-67Brick HouseIn 1841, Dr. John S. Bratton began construction of a new, all-brick two-story house at Brattonsville. Completed c.1843, ...
- 46-65Elias Hill HomeplaceElias Hill (1819-1872) was born enslaved at Hill’s Ironworks on Allison Creek. He and his parents were emancipated prior...
- 46-30Episcopal Church of Our SaviourThe first services were in private homes and at Rock Hill Academy 1857-1861. The church was organized Easter 1870 with t...
- 46-50Hermon Presbyterian ChurchThis church was organized in 1869 with Rev. J.A. Rainey as its first pastor and is one of the oldest black institutions ...
- 46-55Laurelwood CemeteryThis cemetery, the first municipal cemetery in Rock Hill, was established in 1872 when the city acquired a six-acre trac...
- 46-81Mt. Zion SchoolThis was the original location of Mt. Zion School, a public school for African Americans established by Mt. Zion Baptist...
- 46-60New Mount Olivet A.M.E. Zion ChurchThis church, organized in 1873, held its first services in private homes and then under a brush arbor on Pond St., near ...