Committee for the Beautification and Restoration of Randolph Cemetery

Our 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.

Our Black cemetery is important for the state of South Carolina. It is open year round as there is no gate. Anyone is welcome to visit. Established by a group of African American men in 1872, it was named after Benjamin F. Randolph, a senator who had been assassinated a few years earlier as part of the wave of violence against Black and White Republican legislators in South Carolina after the Civil War. There are more than a dozen Black Reconstruction-era legislators also buried here, perhaps more than any other cemetery in the state.

Over the years the site suffered from age and neglect, with early restoration efforts started in the 1980s. We have spent the last decade working on several phases of restoration of the Randolph Cemetery, which has included a new map of each known burial, a database of all legible headstones, and physical repairs of dozens of historic headstones. We have hosted a few public workshops and tours to teach others about historic cemetery care and we are also repairing our stewardship building, the c.1872 Thompson Cottage. Built for a Henry Thompson, this house was in the same Black family for over a century and which needs many repairs.

Testimonials

Our historic Black cemetery celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022! This site is the resting place of many prominent and ordinary citizens from Columbia and beyond for a century and a half. Many of the people buried here probably have little else left to show that they were here. Their homes may be long gone, but this plot of land provides a memorial and a place of honor for them and their memory. Created out of a period of racial division and political conflict, it has weathered many storms over the years. It has also become a beacon for long removed family members from across the country, who are researching their history and ancestors. This is an important site in S .C. history!