Bamberg County sets June 27 dedication for Revolutionary War plaza

Bamberg County will open a new public landmark for the nation’s 250th anniversary with a June 27 dedication of Revolutionary War Veterans Plaza & Park, known as 250 Plaza. The county-owned site will be unveiled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with formal remarks and observances, and the public is invited to attend.

County leaders are presenting the plaza as more than a ceremonial stop. The project is meant to give residents a visible place to gather around the Revolutionary War story, rather than leaving the county’s semiquincentennial plans to a one-day observance or a private commemoration. As Bamberg County builds out its America 250 programming, 250 Plaza has become the most tangible marker of that effort.

The monument at the center of the dedication was described as the product of careful research and includes documented names of Revolutionary War participants from the Bamberg County region. That historical interpretation also reaches beyond a narrow, traditional roster of patriot names. The site’s narrative includes African American and Native American participants whose contributions were often recorded only in limited or fragmented form. The county says the unveiling will also feature an original sculpture by brick artist Brad Spencer, showing two soldiers, one Black and one White, standing back-to-back in shared vigilance.

The plaza fits into a broader public-memory effort already underway in Bamberg County. County pages have been promoting America 250, asking residents and families to take part in the nation’s 250th anniversary observance. The same county campaign includes a time-capsule project tied to the Bamberg County Courthouse Annex, with memorabilia requested from families, churches, community organizations and businesses. That capsule is planned to be opened in 50 years, and memorial bricks for the annex dedication are being sold for $50 each, with three lines of engraving and 18 characters per line.

For Bamberg County, the new plaza also connects the present to older local history. The county was formed from Barnwell County in 1897 and covers about 395 square miles. County history materials point to Revolutionary-era roots that include the 1782 killing of Patriot supporter George Hartzog at Rush’s Mill near present-day Olar. By placing 250 Plaza at the center of its semiquincentennial plans, the county is giving that history a permanent public address.