MARKER DEDICATION

Sept. 12th, 2003

On Friday Sept. 12th, a historical marker was unveiled at the site of the Florence Stockade. The marker contains a brief history of the stockade and a listing of the major contributors who made donations towards the purchase of the stockade site. 

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2 Feb 2002 - The State - Newspaper article on our efforts

CONFEDERATE STOCKADE PURCHASE COMPLETED

The Friends of the Florence Stockade completed the purchase of 16 acres of the site where upwards of 16,000 Union prisoners were held captive in Florence, SC, during the period September 1864 through February 1865. In that short period 2,800 prisoners died from malnutrition and disease and were buried in an adjacent field, now known as the Florence National Cemetery.

Funds for the $31,340 purchase were raised from members, civic organizations and by a matching grant from a Florence foundation. The land was owned by Andy Keels, a descendant of a long line of family owners of the property. Andy, through his love of the history of the place, made it possible for the land to be dedicated as a Civil War Heritage location. What a wonderful thing to be able to pass along the responsibility for this Heritage Site's preservation. He judged that the Friends group qualifies for that responsibility.

The Friends of the Florence Stockade, a group started by Chas. Livingstone, with a dedicated Board of Directors, has been in existence for 6 years and has always had the acquisition of all 26 acres of the original stockade as one of their objectives. This 16 acres purchase is a major step in the mission. The site has had no development or use except for farming and 6 acres is low swampy land. However, the significance of this site is the large Earthberms totaling over 1,000 feet in length along three sides of the old stockade that remain hidden in the woods and swampy low lands along a forgotten little creek that provided the only water for the prisoners. These berms, erected by slaves along the vertical log walls of the prison, provided a walkway for the guards which helped to stop the tunneling of escape efforts; probably the best preserved outdoor prison from Civil War times.

The City of Florence owns the 10 acre balance of the Stockade site and is now responding favorably to the Friends request for consideration of study, planning and development of a Heritage Park that would include reproducing a portion of the walls, main gate, hospital and guard house. Director and Architect Gary Brown and Chairman Mark Buyck, III, are gathering information, drawing maps and conceptual pictures for presentation to the City. A master plan to encompass the whole Heritage Site is the goal of the Board of Directors.

The property is located off US Route 95 at Florence, South Carolina, on Stockade Road, just off National Cemetery Road. A stop at the National Military Cemetery is well worth while for it is not only a beautifully maintained cemetery it contains the known headstones of Union soldiers who died in the Stockade, and also, long rows of trench burials where names were lost after hostilities ceased, all 2300. The Friends have researched the identity of those buried in the trenches and have verified the names of 1,560, and published a manuscript listing names by alphabet, unit and date of death, when known, and a copy is available at the cemetery visitor center or can be had by writing our treasurer. (See address below.) It is also the burial place of Florena Budwin, the only female Civil War prisoner to die in captivity and be buried in a National Cemetery

This Civil War Heritage Site is anticipated to have a large number of visits each year from historians, Civil War scholars, reenactors and the general public of all ages.. This Stockade is an extension of the Andersonville experience since it was filled with Union prisoners transferred from there when Andersonville closed down in September 1864. Proof of the site and its dimensions was verified by a survey by SC State Archaeologist, Dr. Johnathan Leader when he verified the location of the prison walls and hospital areas on the City property. The City of Florence has recently granted a 50 foot access easement to the Stockade property facilitating an easy (but as yet undeveloped) access to the property.

The Friends Heritage Fund is an on-going effort to purchase signs commemorating those who served here, the prisoners, and the major Heritage Fund donors, as well as funding for development planning. Please join us in this effort. Send your inquiries or request for newsletter and membership at $20 or more to Treasurer & Vice Chairman, John Andrews, 307 Kings Place, Hartsville, SC 29550.

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