COLUMBIA, S.C. — Experience Columbia SC and Historic Columbia have teamed up to create the area's first history-centered tourism trail.
Reconstructed: A Journey Through the Reconstruction Era in Columbia, SC highlights eight locations and 10 trailblazers of the post-Civil War period to provide a new perspective on how the past has shaped our modern nation.
“Many people don’t know how important the Reconstruction Era was to our nation, let alone that many of the most iconic buildings are still standing today in South Carolina’s capital,” said Charlene Slaughter, director of communications for Experience Columbia SC.
Sites on the tour include:
- The Museum of The Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home;
- Benedict College;
- Reconstruction Era Churches;
- Phoenix Building;
- South Carolina State House;
- University of South Carolina;
- Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens; and
- Randolph Cemetery
In addition to historic sites, the experience highlights noteworthy trailblazers such as Clarissa Minnie Thompson, Mack Johnson, Robert Brown Elliot and the Rollins sisters.
Through this tour, visitors will explore the history of the places and people significant to Reconstruction, while also becoming familiar with the advancements made by Black citizens prior to their rights being revoked under Jim Crow," said Robin Waites, executive director for Historic Columbia. It’s our hope that everyone who takes the tour comes away with an appreciation for the Black men and women who were trailblazers for freedom and equality. Their stories deserve to be heard.”
Pick up a copy of the trail guide at the Columbia SC Visitor’s Center, Historic Columbia’s Gift Shop at Robert Mills or learn more by visiting reconstructedcolumbiasc.com. The trail can be accessed digitally by scanning the QR code found on the Reconstruction Trail booklets.
Historic Columbia will continue to examine the historical connection between recent national events, the state of American democracy and the Reconstruction Era through a virtual program series called, “Our Vulnerable Democracy: Past, Present, and Future.” To learn more, visit historiccolumbia.org.