Skip to main content

The Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens is closed on Sunday, May 18. All other sites and tours will run as scheduled, including Free Sunday at the Museum of the Reconstruction Era.

See Available Tour Times
Menu Close Menu

Historic Columbia

Donate
  • FAQs
Upcoming Events

Navigation

  • Tours
    • House Tours
      • Robert Mills House and Gardens
      • Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens
      • Mann-Simons Site
      • The Museum of the Reconstruction Era
      • Modjeska Monteith Simkins House
      • Hours and Pricing
    • Garden Tours
      • Garden Database
    • Offsite Tours
      • Walking Tours
    • African American History Tours
    • Online Tours
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • House Tours
    • Traveling Trunks
  • Support
    • Corporate Support
      • Additional Support Opportunities
      • Corporate Membership
      • Program & Event Sponsorship Options
    • Donate
    • Membership
      • Palladium
    • Volunteer
    • Partners and Donors
  • Rent a Venue
    • Gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion
    • Seibels House and Garden
    • Robert Mills Carriage House and Gardens
    • Gardens of the Woodrow Wilson Family Home
    • Weddings
    • Photoshoots
    • Contact Us
  • Research
    • Object Collection
    • Projects and Initiatives
  • Preservation
    • Preservation Awards
    • Preservation Advocacy
    • Resources and Services
    • Economic Impact Study
    • Building Richland County
  • About
    • Blog
    • Board Members
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Gift Shop at Robert Mills
      • Online Store
    • Newsletter
    • Staff Directory

Donate

  1. Home
  2. Online Tours
  3. State House Monuments Tour
  4. African American History Monument

African American History Monument

Current location
Installed March 29, 2001
Designed by Ed Dwight
Funded with private donations

  • African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

    African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

  • African American History Monument, 2019.

    African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

  • African American History Monument, 2019.

    African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

  • African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

    African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

  • African American History Monument, 2019.

    African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

  • African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

    African American History Monument, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

The African American History Monument tells an uplifting story of black South Carolinians from 1619 to the present day. The legislative commission formed to undertake its conception and fundraising sought public input on the design and raised all of the $1.2 million price tag through private donations. The plaza’s semi-circular shape (meant to recall a drum), obelisk (a form understood to have originated in Africa), a series of stones, and the representation of the slave ship Brookes (which began to appear in abolitionist literature in the 1780s) in terrazzo recognize the experience of enslaved people kidnapped in Africa and transported to North America. Arranged chronologically, 12 panels of relief sculptures depict scenes of Africans' and African Americans’ enslavement, emancipation (represented in the middle by the obelisk), struggle for civil rights, and contemporary achievements. To ensure a unifying and positive message, the monument does not depict any specific individuals and abstract, and controversial subjects from Dwight’s original design, including hooded Klansmen and black men being lynched, are depicted with words rather than images. It was the largest monument on the State House grounds until the completion of the South Carolina Armed Forces Monument in 2005 and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Memorial in 2006, which both mimic this monument in shape and size.  
 

Directions:

    PreviousCity of Columbia Bicentennial Time Capsule

    NextJohn C. Calhoun State Office Building

    NTHP Preservation Award Winner
    Historic Columbia

    © 2025 Historic Columbia

    Administrative Offices
    1601 Richland Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Tours
    All historic house and garden tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
    1616 Blanding Street
    Columbia, SC 29201

    Questions? Call (803) 252-7742.

    Newsletter Signup

    newsletter signup

    Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for events, news, and updates from Historic Columbia!

    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Flickr
    • Privacy Policy
    Website by Cyberwoven