{"id":49,"date":"2026-05-18T18:38:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=49"},"modified":"2026-05-18T18:38:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T18:38:27","slug":"scs-robert-smalls-monument-breaks-ground-it-needs-money-to-rise-from-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=49","title":{"rendered":"SC\u2019s Robert Smalls monument breaks ground. It needs money to rise from it"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

Wednesday marked the 164-year-anniversary of when Robert Smalls, a South Carolina man enslaved on a Confederate ship, commandeered the USS Planter and steered himself and other passengers to freedom.<\/p>\n

Read more Loyd Ardrey, owner of Rock Hill\u2019s Ebenezer Grill and its \u2018giant weenie\u2019 sign, dies<\/a><\/p>\n

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He sailed the USS Planter past several gun batteries in Charleston Harbor by knowing the correct signals before surrendering the ship to the Union.<\/p>\n

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Smalls, a Beaufort native born into slavery, later served in the Union Navy, the state legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe became a businessman, an educator, a legislator right here and a congressman. The fierce advocate of public education and equal rights,\u201d said state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews, D-Colleton. \u201cAnd throughout his life, he fought to make this state live up to its highest ideals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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After years of planning, South Carolina broke ground on a monument honoring Smalls on Wednesday morning. But the monument stills faces a long journey before it stands over the State House grounds, near the visitor entrance.<\/p>\n

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\u201cRobert Smalls belong here,\u201d said former state Sen. Gerald Malloy \u201cHe belongs, not as a footnote, not as an afterthought, as a giant of South Carolina history.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Malloy is leading fundraising for the monument. The final cost of the 12-foot bronze statue is unknown, but estimates are $1 million to $2 million. The commission so far raised $41,223, Department of Administration spokesperson Brooke Bailey wrote in an email Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI am very pleased to announce that all legislative approvals have been attained, and the commission is now beginning a new phase of fundraising to make the Robert Smalls monument a reality,\u201d said Mike Shealy, chairman of the Robert Smalls Memorial Commission.<\/p>\n

Read more SC House plans return Friday to take up redistricting, GOP leader says<\/a><\/p>\n

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The design and location of the monument was approved earlier this year by the General Assembly, paving way for a Robert Smalls statue to become a reality when fundraising is complete.<\/p>\n

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The commission selected Georgia-based artist Basil Watson to design the monument to Robert Smalls. Watson also designed the \u201cDesegregation Monument\u201d on the University of South Carolina Horseshoe.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When built, the monument will be the first dedicated to an individual Black South Carolinian on the State House grounds.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cFor far too long, the contributions of Black South Carolinians were overlooked, minimized or left out entirely from the public spaces of power in this state, but not today,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cToday we take another step toward correcting that history.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The monument will help South Carolinians and visitors have a more complete view of the state\u2019s complex history, Matthews and Malloy said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cLong after we\u2019re all gone, children will walk these State House grounds and see his statue standing there,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cThey will ask who Robert Smalls was. And because of what we\u2019ve done today, South Carolina will finally answer the question the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Search for man accused of committing violent crimes, Columbia police say<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lawmakers and leaders broke ground on the first monument dedicated to an individual Black South Carolinian at the State House. The Robert Smalls Monument Commission is seeking donations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-civil-rights-in-columbia"],"yoast_head":"\nSC\u2019s Robert Smalls monument breaks ground. 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