Preserving the past.
Historic Randolph Cemetery, Columbia, SC
Begun in 1872 by a group of black businessmen, Randolph Cemetery was the first formal, private cemetery for blacks in Columbia. They named it in honor of assassinated Senator Benjamin F. Randolph, a representative for Orangeburg. The cemetery became the final resting place for more than a dozen Reconstruction-era state legislators. It is also home to Civil Rights era leaders like George Elmore, religious, professional and educational leaders, as well as everyday people.
The cemetery is privately owned by the Committee for the Beautification and Restoration of Randolph Cemetery (CBRRC), which is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The mission is “to see Randolph Cemetery as a beautifully restored and secure cultural heritage site; to encourage the community to visit and enjoy it; to ensure its continued maintenance; and to educate the public about its importance.”
Benjamin Franklin Randolph
Pictured here with other members of the South Carolina Legislature, Randolph is on the top row, second from the right. He was assassinated in 1868 during a rash of political violence that also claimed two of his white colleagues. These Radical Republicans had policy goals of free public education and expanded voting rights. This image is from the Library of Congress.
Cemetery Restoration
There are well over 1,500 people buried here and about a thousand headstones. Many of them are still in need of repairs. Grants from the State of S.C., the Richland County Conservation Commission and the Richland County Council have helped with some of the restoration of headstones, the driveway, and brick plot borders over the past decade. Even as many of those funds are depleted there is still a need for continued restoration of monuments like the one pictured here. Donations are needed for this work.
Thompson Cottage
Donated to the CBRRC so that its rental income could pay to cut the grass at Randolph Cemetery, this house also dates to 1872. Located in downtown Columbia, it was built for a black family headed by Henry Thompson, and it remained in the family for over a century. Termite and water damage have kept it empty for some time, and with limited funds it is in need of donations so that it can once again become a sustainable funding source for the cemetery.
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