Beaufort, South Carolina will use $350,000 of Federal money for signage to mark sites connected to the county’s Reconstruction Era history. Beaufort is the home of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park. The country was freed from Confederate control in 1862 and its population liberated from slavery. Reconstruction experiments like the creation of Freedmen’s schools and the recruitment of Black Union soldiers. The funding is part of the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in March.
According to the county, it will erect “signage that lends a unified County-Wide presence to our historic sites related to the Reconstruction Era.”
Since the creation of the National Park, the county has seen a growth in historical tourism. The signage is likely to increase the visitation as sites beyond the park are marked.
The announcement of the new markers comes near the 160th anniversary of the liberation of Beaufort. On December 5, 1861, the Union Army staged a parade in Beaufort to celebrate the occupation of the city.
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