AN CURCIO PHOTOGRAPHY Daniel Morgan statue

Written by Deirdre Hickey, Image courtesy of An Curcio Photography

Monuments to Visit in the South Carolina Mountains

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Nestled in the pine-hardwoods forest of Clemson University, the Old Stone Church, built in 1802, was home to many infamous parishioners, such as Revolutionary War heroes Andrew Pickens and Robert Anderson, who are still remembered in their eponymous counties. Its cemetery contains the grave of Osenappa, a Cherokee who assisted the patriots.

The current building was constructed after the original log church was destroyed in a fire in 1796. After this devastation, the church was more prudently composed of native fieldstone and lime mortar made of smelted oyster shells. Local folklore has sustained the story of courageous young men within the congregation who ventured to the coast to gather these shells for construction. Old Stone Church and Cemetery grounds are open to the public as well as for event rentals.

Dicey Langston Home-Place and Heritage Garden

Travelers Rest

Dicey statue June C Credit Paul Wood — Image courtesy of Paul Wood

Laodicea “Dicey” Langston of Laurens, South Carolina, was only 15 years old when her bravery spared the lives of countless patriots. When she heard of a planned attack on a camp at Little Eden, she traveled by foot, crossing freezing rivers to inform her brother and others at that location so they were able to evacuate and avoid a surprise loyalist ambush.

There are dozens of other reports of Langston exhibiting bravery throughout her lifetime, with one instance noting that she stood between her disabled father and the pointed weapons of loyalist soldiers when they invaded their home, depicted in the engraving Miss Langston shielding her father by Alfred Jones. In each of these reports, Langston is defined by the sacrifices she made to defend and protect the people she loved.

The grounds are memorialized by a marker made of a hearthstone taken from the actual home in which Langston lived. Recently, the City of Travelers Rest devoted a statue of her on Main Street as part of the new Dicey Langston Heritage Garden, including a children’s botanical garden and Spy Hunt trail. The statue depicts Langston on her heroic night in active flight, and was constructed by local artist Nick Ring, who describes this portrait as a force of nature, indicative of her spirit.

Daniel Morgan Monument

Spartanburg

General Daniel Morgan Statue IAN CURCIO PHOTOGRAPHY — Image courtesy of An Curcio Photography

Daniel Morgan Square (formerly Public Square) has served as a nucleus of downtown Spartanburg through each of the city’s eras: the Revolutionary era, the antebellum period, its period as a textile heavyweight, and modern times.

The square was named after Daniel Morgan in 1881, and a centennial commemorative statue of him was presented in honor of his victory at the Battle of Cowpens. Morgan, a Revolutionary War general regarded as one of the most skilled in guerilla warfare and tactical strategy, was known famously for training his elite light infantry unit in long-range sniping, often killing a dozen British soldiers a day. These riflemen, historically known as Morgan’s Sharpshooters, were honored by George Washington.

Morgan’s statue is cast in bronze and sits atop a 21-foot granite column, constructed in Philadelphia by sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward.