C of C Plans Events to Recall America's First Memorial Day

May 2, 2002

An artist's depiction of the 1865 Decoration Day in Charleston's Hampton Park.

It’s a little known part of Charleston history that America’s first Memorial Day-style ceremony was held in the city’s Hampton Race Course (now Hampton Park) on May, 1 1865, just weeks after the Civil War ended. Historians say this public event- originally called “Decoration Day” - set into motion the rituals that today have become known as Memorial Day.

Hoping to highlight this “neglected episode” of local and U.S. history, the Departments of History at the College of Charleston and The Citadel have organized a two day public history event called “Honoring Fallen Soldiers: America’s First Memorial Day.” A “Program in Remembrance” will be held May 3-4 and will feature an academic forum, a re-enactment of the 1865 event, and the unveiling of a new historical marker in Hampton Park. There will also be a special guided tour of the new Fort Sumter museum, significant African American Civil War sites in Charleston, and a luncheon at C of C’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture.

According to C of C history professor Bernard Powers, the present day Hampton Park was a prison camp for Union soldiers during the Civil War. Some 200 of the soldiers died while in captivity. At the war’s end, members of black churches excavated the bodies from a mass grave and buried them in individual graves with crosses. On May 1, 1865 thousands of Charlestonians gathered at the Hampton Park Race Course to consecrate the new grave site.

“Graves were decorated, speeches were given, and newspapers as far away as New York recorded this event,” said Powers. “Our re-enactment ceremony will allow 21st century Americans a look at the Civil War past through new lenses.”

The Friday, May 3 academic forum will be from 3:30-5 p.m. at The Citadel’s Bond Hall, Room 165. It will be led by Catherine Clinton, the Mark Clark Visiting Chair of History at The Citadel. Noted Civil War scholar David Blight from Amherst College will share his findings about Charleston’s May 1, 1865 Decoration Day ceremony. Thomas Brown from the University of South Carolina will present a slide show on Civil War memorials and memorialization. A reception follows from 5-7 p.m. in The Citadel’s Riverview Room.

Saturday’s activities begin at 10 a.m. at the Gazebo in Hampton Park. Speakers will impersonate the figures involved in the historic 19th century ceremony. Local school children, college students, church members and historical agencies will be involved as will re-enactors from the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, a unit which was actually involved in the original event.

At the end of the speeches, orations, poetry, and music, a permanent historical marker will be unveiled, to commemorate the spot where Charleston’s first Decoration Day took place.

At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, there will be a guided tour of the new Ft. Sumter Education Center at Liberty Square next to the South Carolina Aquarium. At 3 p.m., there will be a guided bus tour of African American Civil War sites in Charleston. The bus will depart from Liberty Square. There’s a limit of 40 passengers, so participation will be first come- first serve. The reception at the Avery Research Center, 125 Bull St., will be from 4-6 p.m. Along with the College of Charleston and The Citadel, other sponsors are the Charleston Parks Department, the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs, Ft. Sumter National Park, and the South Carolina Humanities Council.

All events are free and open to the public. For further information, please contact Professor Catherine Clinton at (843) 953-5073 or REDHEAD2@IDT.NET, or Professor Bernard Powers at (843) 953-8171 or powersb@cofc.edu.

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Contact: Patrick Harwood
College Relations
(843) 953-2548
harwoodp@cofc.edu