S.C. monument to honor Civil War hero Robert Smalls
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A Civil War hero and a man whose lasting legacy is still felt in South Carolina today will soon be honored at the State House.
This recognition of Robert Smalls will be a historic one for the Palmetto State.
It’s “one more piece of crucial, important history that people need to know about,” Gov. Henry McMaster said.
On Thursday, McMaster and legislators commemorated a new law to erect a monument to the Civil War hero and politician.
S.C. lawmakers ponder future power in Palmetto State
S.C. lawmakers are focusing on an issue they say is critical to the future: how to keep the lights on amid booming growth in the state.
Smalls was born into slavery in Beaufort, sailed himself, his crew, and their families to freedom on a Confederate ship during the Civil War and later served South Carolina in the state legislature and Congress.
“It seems more like a script from Hollywood or a blockbuster movie than something from the pages of a South Carolina history book,” said state Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington.
Facebook parent company brings data center, jobs to Aiken
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster visited Aiken County on Thursday for the announcement of a new data center by social media giant Meta.
Malloy says Smalls’ legacy is still alive in South Carolina today.
“He authored the legislation here that was the first free and compulsory education for South Carolina but did it first in the country. The founder of the South Carolina Republican Party,” Malloy said.
It will be the first monument on the grounds outside the State House that honors an individual African American.
The legislation to erect it ed unanimously in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Law aims to help save historic buildings in South Carolina
South Carolina is the only state in the nation with a unique program that encourages the transformation of what may once have been eyesores – into community treasures.
“This piece of legislation proved to be uniting. It was a united front,” said Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Richland.
A new commission will figure out the details of where this monument will go … and what it’ll look like.
The met for the first time this week – and is quickly getting to work.
“This is a sign of South Carolina and our future,” said Rep. Brandon Cox, R-Berkeley, the bill’s lead sponsor.
Bronze statue of John Lewis replaces Ga. Confederate monument
A large bronze statue of the late civil rights icon leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis was installed Friday, at the very spot where a contentious monument to the Confederacy stood for more than 110 years.
We should have our first look at what this monument could look like – and where it’ll go – by mid-January.
Then it’ll have to be up by 2028, funded entirely with donations.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
