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

Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway Marker

Current location
Installed August 30, 1938
Funded by the City of Columbia and the South Carolina Division, UDC
Produced by Brown Brothers Memorial Company

  • Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway Marker, 2019.

    Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway Marker, 2019. Historic Columbia collection

  • Postcard depicting 1,000 children forming the Confederate battle flag, 1938.

    Postcard depicting 1,000 children forming a Confederate flag, 1938. Historic Columbia collection, HCF 2018.6.26

As part of national movements to name interstate highways for the Confederate general Robert E. Lee and president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, the state division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) dedicated two routes through South Carolina to the men in the early twentieth century. Through public monuments and educational programs, the UDC glorified the Confederacy, explained secession as a political act rather than a defense of slavery, and vilified the federal government’s empowerment of African Americans during Reconstruction.

The UDC designated a series of roads that crossed the state from Charleston to Greenville to Robert E. Lee in 1938. It was dedicated with a “living Confederate flag” on the State House steps composed of over 1,000 people dressed in red, white, and blue. The marker for the highway features the seal of the Confederate States of America and its depiction of George Washington, which the Confederacy had used to legitimize its claim as the second coming of the American Revolution. Interstate I-26 replaced the system of roads that composed the Robert E. Lee Memorial Highway when it was constructed between 1957 and 1969.

34.00076529249, -81.034734257754

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