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"The first of its kind on any of the nation's state house grounds," this monument was sculptured by Ed Dwight of Colorado and dedicated March 29, 2001. This monument traces African-American history from the Middle Passage, to the fight for freedom in the Civil War, the struggle for civil rights and emergence into mainstream America. Among the 12 scenes are images that depict a family on the auction block, slaves working in a rice field, men and women celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation, the Jim Crow era, the Northern migration, and images of African Americans today pioneering in such fields as engineering, law education, sports, politics and space exploration. At the base of the monument's obelisk are four rubbing stones from regions of Africa where slaves were captured - Senegal, Sierra Leone, the Republic of Congo and Ghana.
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 Columbia |
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Built in 1818 and expanded and remodeled by Gov. William Aiken Jr., this palatial town residence showcases city life in antebellum Charleston. Aiken and his wife traveled to Europe and bought magnificent crystal and bronze chandeliers, classical sculptures and paintings to furnish the house. Many of these objects still remain. The intact work yard is one of the nation's most complete and compelling examples of African-American urban life. Original outbuildings include the kitchens, slave quarters, stables, privies and garden follies. Historic Charleston Foundation offers an exciting audio tour of this historic property.
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 Charleston |
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Customized step-on guided tours of Charleston, nearby Sea Islands and/or Mt. Pleasant - specializing in African-American history. Also offering tour and itinerary planning for groups; presentations on area history and culture to include Gullah/Geechee culture; storytelling; and dance and dramatic arts workshops.
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North Charleston |
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Founded in 1871 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the university was the first private black school in the state established to educate clergy for the AME Church. Law and vocational degrees also were conferred. The school moved to Columbia in 1880 and is named for Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the AME Church. Five buildings on the university's campus green are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Columbia |
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Called the "Black Pearl," Atlantic Beach is a strip of primarily black-owned coastal property in Horry County. Historically, African-Americans went there because they could not use the same beaches as whites in South Carolina. In the early 1930’s, defying Jim Crow laws in the segregated south, debunking black stereotypes, and broadening the enterprises of the Gullah/Geechee people, black men and women opened hotels, restaurants, night clubs, and novelty shops in Atlantic Beach. With desegregation and the development boom in greater Myrtle Beach, the town today is trying to preserve its early historical identity.
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 Atlantic Beach |
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The Avery Research Center is housed in the former Avery Normal Institute, established in 1865. Its mission is to collect, preserve and document the history and culture of African Americans in Charleston and the SC Lowcountry. The Center's collection includes manuscripts, photographs, artifacts, personal papers and other documents and memorabilia. Ongoing exhibits and public programs also highlight the African American experience.
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Charleston |
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Benedict Institute, founded in 1870 to educate ministers and teachers, offered courses from the primary to the collegiate level. It became Benedict College in 1894. The school is named for Stephen Benedict, an abolitionist from Rhode Island who left money to the society after his death. Five buildings on the campus are listed in the National Register Historic District.
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Columbia |
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Dr. Benjamin E. Mays' childhood home will be the focal point of the Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site. An original one-room, African American school and an interpretive center will also be a part of the project. Upon completion, the site will be the destination for individuals and groups interested in learning about the life of one of the nation’s most influential Civil Rights leaders and the African- American experience in South Carolina. School children, tour groups and individuals can tour the childhood home of Dr. Mays and understand his monumental rise from a sharecropper’s son to president of Morehouse College.
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 Greenwood |
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This is one of the few pre-Civil War churches organized by African-Americans for African-Americans. The original church was constructed in 1829 and donated in 1868 to the African-American Baptist congregation which was holding services there. The present building was constructed in 1898 using some of the original materials. The congregation was instrumental in the founding of Morris College in Sumter and the establishment of an African-American high school in Barnwell.
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 Barnwell |
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Rev. Alexander Bettis, a former slave who could read but couldn't write, established Bettis Academy in 1882 to provide education for African-Americans in South Carolina. Bettis Academy provided both day and boarding options for its students. Its curriculum emphasized the Bible and religious instruction, literacy, mechanical and agricultural arts, and home economics. Bettis Academy closed in 1950. An annual Earth Day event is held there each April.
The site is currently closed for tours.
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 Trenton |
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