Historical Markers in
Richland County, South Carolina

1001 Gervais Street 100th Inf Division 102nd Cavalry 106th Inf Division 108th Division 1896 Power Plant 1900 Block of Henderson Street / William J. Sumter 26th Inf Division 30th Inf Division 31st Inf Division 4th Infantry Division 77th Inf Division 87th Inf Division 8th Infantry Division 9 -11 / First Responders A Bridge to the Past A Fortunate Survivor A Tribute To All U.S. Military Personnel On This Day Of Infamy A.S. Salley House African-American Heroes of the 371st Regiment African-American History Monument Allen University Alston House An Enduring Landmark Arsenal Hill Arsenal Hill Assembly Street Barnie Jordan Jr. Memorial Highway Barnwell Street Battleship Maine Memorial Benedict College Benjamin Franklin Randolph Monument Benjamin Mack House Benjamin Ryan Tillman Beth Shalom Cemetery Beth Shalom Synagogue Bethel A.M.E. Church Bethel Baptist Church Bethel Lutheran Church Bethel Methodist Church Bethlehem Church Bethlehem Church Birthplace of General Maxcy Gregg Blanding Street Blossom Street Blossom Street School / Celia Dial Saxon School Blythewood School Booker T. Washington High School Booker T. Washington School/Booker T. Washington High Boylston House & Boxwood Gardens Bridge at Remagen Stone Broad River Bull Street Burning Of Columbia Cain- Matthews- Tompkins House Camp Jackson Camp Johnson Canal Dime Savings Bank/Bouie v. City of Columbia (1964) Cap. Swanson Lunsford Capitol Complex Carver Theatre Cecil Herbert Land D.D. Cemetery of the Columbia Hebrew Benevolent Society China - Burma - India Veterans Church of the Good Shepard Clariosophic Literary Society College Street Colonel Thomas Taylor Columbia Bible College Columbia Bible College, 1937-1960 / Westervelt Home, 1930 - 1937 Columbia Canal Columbia City Hall Columbia Civil Rights Sit-Ins/Barr v. City of Columbia (1964) Columbia Hospital "Negro Unit" / Columbia Hospital "Negro Nurses" Confederate Printing Plant Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865 Confederate Soldiers Home Congaree River Bridges Congaree River Ferries Congaree Vista Courthouse Square Curtiss-Wright Hangar Cyril O. Spann Medical Office Darby Field DeBruhl-Marshall House Dentsville School DeSaussure College Diamond Hill Divided By Design Doolittle Raiders Duke of Albemarle Earl of Clarendon Early Columbia Racetrack Early Country Homes Early Howard School Site Eastover Ebenezer Lutheran Church Elliott College Elmwood Avenue Elmwood Cemetery Confederate Soldiers Entrance to Cemetery of the Columbia Hebrew Benevolent Society Fair-Rutherford House / Rutherford House First Baptist Church First Calvary Baptist Church First Presbyterian Church First Presbyterian Church Confederate Veterans Monument Fisher's Mill on Gill Creek Fleishman Family Chapel Former Site of Columbia Theological Seminary Fort Jackson Elementary School / Hood Street Elementary School Gadsden Gadsden Street Geiger Ave. Cemetery Generations George Elmore George P. Hoffman House George Washington (Statue) Gervais Street Bridge Gibbes Green Gladden Home Site Gonzales Tribute Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital Governor's Mansion Gregg Street Hampton - Preston House Harden Street Harnessing Water Power Harper College Harriet Barber House Harriet Barber House Harriett Cornwell Tourist Home Heidt - Russell House / Edwin R. Russell Henderson Street Henry Disbrow Phillips, D.D. Here Stood The State House History of the Lincoln Street Tunnel Hopkins Horrell Hill Horry-Guignard House Howard School Site Huger Street I. DeQuincey Newman Freeway I. DeQuincey Newman House In Memory of the John H. Rose Family Israelite Sunday School / Columbia's First Synagogue J. Marion Sims James F. Byrnes James H. Adams James M. Hinton House Jefferson Hotel John M. Bates Bridge Joseph D. Sapp Memorial Bridge Kensington Killian Road Baptist Church Cemetery Confederate Soldiers Monument Killian School Kingville Korean War Memorial Lace House Ladson Presbyterian Church Lady Street Last Home of Wade Hampton Laurel Street Legare College Liberty Bell Reproduction Lieber College Lincoln Street Little Zion Baptist Church Lord Ashley Lord John Berkeley Lord William Craven Mann-Simons Cottage Marion Street Matilda A. Evans House Matthew J. Perry House Maxcy Gregg Park Maximilian LaBorde McCord House McCutchen House Memorial Fountain Memorial Youth Center Memory of South Carolina Generals Mexican Border and World War Memorial Minervaville Minton Family Home Modjeska Simkins House Monteith School Nathaniel J. Frederick House New Light Beulah Baptist Church North Carolina Mutual Building Old State Fair Grounds Olympia Cemetery Ordinance of Secession Original Site of Columbia College Original Site of Winthrop College Palmetto Arsenal / Iron Works Palmetto Regiment Paul R. Redfern Philip Simmons Pickens Street Pieces of the Past Pieces of the Past Pinckney College Pine Grove Rosenwald School President's House Quoin-Stones R.L. Bryan Co. Warehouse Randolph Cemetery Redfern Field / Paul R. Redfern Remembering Dr. King Richard Samuel Roberts House Richard Theodore Greener (1844-1922) Richardson Square Richland Presbyterian Church Richland Street Richlex School Site Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway Robert H. Morrell Road Rutledge College S.C. Confederate Soldiers’ Home Sandfield Baptist Church / Sandfield Cemetery Sandy Level Baptist Church Seaboard Air Line Passenger Station Seaboard Air-Line Railway Station #1 Seaboard Air-Line Railway Station #2 Seibels House Senate Street Shandon Shandon Presbyterian Church Sherman's Headquarters Sherman’s Artillery Sidney Park C.M.E. Church Sir George Carteret Sir John Colleton Sir William Berkeley Site of Blanding House Site of Columbia Female Academy Site of Columbia High School Site of Columbia Male Academy Site of Gibbes House Site of Mount Vernon Lutheran Church Site of Original President's House 1807 Site of Palmetto Iron Works Site of Parade Ground Site of the Surrender of Columbia, SC Site of Wayside Hospital Site where James Dickey Wrote Deliverance Skirmish at Killian's Mill Slave Quarters Slavery and the South Carolina College South Carolina Confederate Monument South Carolina Female Collegiate Institute South Carolina Memorial Gardens South Carolina State Hospital South Carolina State Hospital, Mills Building South Carolina State Vietnam War Memorial South Carolina Veterans Memorial South Carolina Women of the Confederacy Monument Spanish-American War Cannon Spanish-American War Veterans Monument Spring Hill St. Paul Church / Oak Grove St. Peter's Church and Ursuline Convent St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church St. Phillip A.M.E. Church St. Timothy's Episcopal Church State Dispensary Warehouse Strom Thurmond Sumter Street Taylor Burying Ground Taylor Street The Big Apple The Boys of Richland County The Columbia (S.C.) Holocaust Memorial The East-West Streets In The City Of Columbia - Gervais Street The Figure Eight in South Carolina The Gonzales Fountain The L. Marion Gressette Euphradian Society Hall The Lighthouse & Informer / John H. McCray The North-South Streets in The City Of Columbia / Richardson Street The South Caroliniana Library The State House The State House of South Carolina The Statue of Liberty Division The "Columbiad" Cannon Thomas Taylor / Taylor Cemetery Tommy Wilson's Neighborhood Town Theatre Tree of Life Synagogue Trinity Episcopal Church University of South Carolina Unknown Confederate Dead Monument USC Desegregation Commemorative Garden USS Columbia CL-56 Victorian By Design Victory Savings Bank Vietnam Veterans & POWs Visanska-Starks House Wade Hampton Wade Hampton Washington Street Washington Street Methodist Church Waverly Waverly Five and Dime / George Elmore and Elmore v. Rice Wesley Methodist Church William Earle Berne Beltway Williams Street / Gist Street Wilson Boyhood House Wilson House Woodlands and Millwood Woodrow Wilson Family Home & Gardens Zion Baptist Church Zion Chapel Baptist Church No. 1 "Chesnut Cottage" "Commissioners' Oak" “Spirit of the American Doughboy” “Spirit of the American Doughboy”
South Carolina is the birthplace of several famous musicians, including James Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, and Chubby Checker.
Richland County, located in the heart of South Carolina, has a rich and diverse history that spans centuries. Originally inhabited by Native American tribes, the area was first explored by European settlers in the 1600s. The county was officially established in 1785 and named after the fertile soil found in the region. During the colonial period, Richland County played a significant role in the agricultural economy of South Carolina, with the production of indigo and rice being the primary industries.

One of the key events in Richland County's history took place during the American Revolution. In 1781, the Battle of Eutaw Springs was fought near present-day Eutawville, resulting in a significant victory for the American forces and marking a turning point in the war. This battle is commemorated today at the Battle of Eutaw Springs Historic Site.

During the antebellum period, Richland County experienced a boom in cotton production due to the introduction of the cotton gin. This led to a significant increase in the number of enslaved African Americans working on the region's plantations. Richland County also played a role in the abolitionist movement, with some residents actively opposing slavery and participating in the Underground Railroad.

After the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, Richland County underwent major changes. The county seat, Columbia, became a thriving center of industry and commerce. The construction of railroads and the establishment of educational institutions, such as the University of South Carolina, contributed to the county's growth. Today, Richland County continues to be a vibrant and diverse community, with a strong emphasis on education, culture, and economic development.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Richland County, South Carolina.

  • 1785: Richland County is established as one of the original counties in the state of South Carolina.
  • 1786: Columbia is established as the county seat and becomes the capital of South Carolina.
  • 1808: The Columbia Canal is completed, providing power for local mills and factories.
  • 1861-1865: Richland County is heavily impacted by the American Civil War, with Columbia being burned by Union troops in 1865.
  • 1870: Reconstruction begins in Richland County, with efforts to rebuild the economy and infrastructure.
  • 1905: The South Carolina State Fairgrounds open in Columbia, becoming a popular annual event for the county.
  • 1930s: Richland County experiences significant growth during the Great Depression due to New Deal projects and the establishment of Fort Jackson.
  • 1950s-1960s: The Civil Rights Movement impacts Richland County, with protests and activism for racial equality.
  • 1970s: Urban renewal efforts lead to the revitalization of downtown Columbia, with new developments and restoration projects.
  • 1990s: Richland County experiences further growth and development, becoming a hub for education, healthcare, and technology.
  • 2000s: Richland County focuses on sustainable development and infrastructure improvements to accommodate continued growth.