African American Historic Places in South Carolina, September 2015

From introduction: "his publication provides information on properties in South Carolina that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places or have been recognized with South Carolina Historical Markers as of May 2015 and have important associations with African American history. More information on these and other properties is available at the South Carolina Archives and History Center. Many other places in South Carolina are important to our African American history and heritage and are eligible for listing in the National Register or recognition with the South Carolina Historical Marker program. The State Historic Preservation Office at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History welcomes questions regarding the listing or marking of other eligible sites. African Americans have made a vast contribution to the history of South Carolina throughout its over-300-year-history. The African American story lies at the very heart of our heritage. From the first English settlements African slaves provided the primary workforce, and by 1708 they formed a majority of the non-native population in the colony. By 1720 the black population of South Carolina was twice that of the white population. Except for a period between 1790 and the 1820s, African Americans made up the largest segment of the population in South Carolina until 1922. It is believed that half of today’s African American population in the United States has ties to South Carolina. A wealth of historic buildings, structures, and sites document the state’s African American heritage from slavery to freedom and from segregation and political and economic disenfranchisement to the struggle for equal rights. Slave houses, archaeological sites, and rice fields remind us of the legacy of slavery. Buildings in Charleston, Camden, and Columbia attest to the contributions of free African Americans during the antebellum period. The years of Civil War and Reconstruction are remembered in places as diverse as campgrounds associated with African American soldiers fighting for the Union, the site where the Emancipation Proclamation was first celebrated, and the homes of African American legislators. Buildings that housed African American schools, businesses, professional offices, and social and fraternal organizations are reminders of the years of Jim Crow segregation. The struggle for equal rights is commemorated in places such as the homes of Civil Rights leaders, meeting places, and the sites of protests. As a group these historic places remind us of the courage, endurance, and achievements of black South Carolinians. Through their documentation and preservation all South Carolinians can begin to more fully understand and appreciate the contributions of African Americans to the rich history of our state." Funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

African American Historic Places in South Carolina, September 2015

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