Latest news with #BlackCivilWar
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Beaufort to honor first Black Civil War soldiers with new park
BEAUFORT, S.C. (WSAV) — Beaufort officials are working on designs for a new park that will honor the first Black Civil War soldiers who once fought on the city's soil. City officials called the location of the land, the 'gateway into the city.' 'You come in off of Trash Parkway on 21 and we hope that the park will be designed as such, that you cannot pass by without at least wondering what is that over there?' said City Manager, Scott Marshall. Their plans are to turn it from sitting idle as a part of the open land trust, to The South Carolina Volunteers of African Descent Park. 'As a resident growing up here and having attended Robert Smalls High School, I did not know about the first South Carolina Volunteers,' said city councilman, Mitch Mitchell. That's why they said they are working to designate signage around the grounds to hopefully educate locals, tourists, and students about the significance of the milestone. 'I can see a time when we'll have school busses on field trips coming here, studying in a very enjoyable way,' said Mitchell. Marshall added on, 'If you stop here at the park, you won't be able to walk in the park and leave the park without knowing who the first South Carolina Volunteers of African descent were.' Officials say Beaufort's history is what drives tourism. Tourism is their number one industry in the city. The park will be the first location to introduce the several other important sites in Beaufort. 'It's all about everyone leaning forward to tell this history that is very uniquely Beaufort history,' said Mitchell. 'But it's also South Carolina's history and U.S. history.' Marshall said the city and the county are involved with the project. They have been in the process with stakeholders made up of citizens, academicians and other folks in government organizations, to come up with the features they want to be seen in the park. As of now, they haven't confirmed funding for the project, or when it will break ground, but Marshall said they are excited when that time comes, to be able to keep Beaufort's history alive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Defense Department wipes ‘Glory' Civil War hero from website
The Defense Department efforts to purge civil rights figures from its website led to the deletion of a page about Black Civil War hero Sgt. William Carney. That link once directed readers to a biography about the Medal of Honor winner who inspired Denzel Washington's character in the 1989 movie 'Glory.' It now leads to a 404 error page with the letters 'DEI' in its URL. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News personality appointed by President Donald Trump, has made eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, from the Defense Department's public platforms a high priority. Military site Task & Purpose first noticed Carney's DoD page had been eliminated Wednesday morning. That's also when a bio featuring baseball desegregation hero and Army veteran Jackie Robinson went missing from The 'Meet Sgt. William Carney' article telling Carney's story remained active on the U.S. Army's website Thursday. It says Carney was born into slavery in Virginia, but relocated to Massachusetts where he joined the Union Army's first official Black unit in 1863. His finest hour in uniform occurred in July of that year when the 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment charged the Confederacy's Fort Wagner stronghold in Charleston, South Carolina. When his unit's color guard was wounded, Carney grabbed the flag and continued leading Union troops toward the fort, where he planted Old Glory in the sand. 'Carney lost a lot of blood and nearly lost his life, but not once did he allow the flag to touch the ground,' his bio reads. That act of bravery was recreated for the final scene of the Civil War drama 'Glory,' which made Washington an Academy Award winner. The DoD bio about Carney was written in February 2017 to celebrate African American History Month. 'Why do you get rid of something like DEI?' Hegseth said during a speech at the Pentagon last month. 'Because from our perspective, it's served a purpose of dividing the force as opposed to uniting the force.'
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'They chose to serve': United States Colored Troops members honored at City Cemetery
Feb. 28—WILKES-BARRE — City Cemetery was the site of a wreath-laying ceremony on Thursday afternoon, during which local United States Colored Troops (USCT) members were honored for their service and sacrifices during the Civil War era. The ceremony was one of two events held in the city on Thursday in recognition of Black History Month. "They were not drafted. They did not have to serve. They chose to serve," Bill Lewis, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, said of the Black Civil War veterans buried in City Cemetery. "They all intentionally said, 'I want to join the U.S. Army' and with that, in many cases, they signed up for what could have been, or what was, a death sentence." Among those who were mentioned during the ceremony were Henry Brown, a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and Moses Morris, who served in the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, an all-Black regiment in the Union Army. The 54th Massachusetts is notably portrayed in the 1989 film "Glory." Lewis pointed out the intrigue behind a 54th Massachusetts veteran being recruited from Wilkes-Barre. "Why would they come to Wilkes-Barre — a little town in the 1860s — to find soldiers? Well, they found them." Will Conyngham, president of the Luzerne County Historical Society, pointed out that the unit recruited servicemen from as far away as Canada and speculated that this widened search for soldiers may have likewise extended to Wilkes-Barre. Tim Hodge, a living historian dressed in full period costume, placed a wreath at Morris' gravesite. An estimated 196 Civil War veterans are buried in City Cemetery, and veterans of other wars rest there as well. Lewis described the Civil War soldiers who are buried there as "true heroes and true patriots" before extending his gratitude to all departed service members. "This is truly a field of glory for all the veterans and all the folks who are buried here, but most especially for the Civil War soldiers who contributed so much." The USCT veterans remained the main focus of Thursday's ceremony. Lewis suggested that someone from the public should identify each Civil War veteran buried in City Cemetery and compile their stories. In the case of the USCT members, that story includes volunteering to fight and remaining in danger even after the war had ended. Conyngham acknowledged the added stakes of the Civil War for USCT members, considering the war was essentially fought over the abolition of slavery. "Many of these veterans, they were fighting to preserve the union. These guys were fighting to save their lives, not just on the battlefield," Conyngham asserted. On Thursday evening, an event was held at the Westmoreland Club Grand Hall. There, Hodge remained in costume while portraying Captain Robert Smalls, a historical figure who was born into slavery but later freed himself through his efforts during the Civil War. Entertainment was provided at the evening event by the Soulful Springs Gospel Choir.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Inside the remarkable Black history connected to Timbuctoo, New Jersey
The Brief Timbuctoo, NJ was established in 1826 as a free Black community. Guy Weston of the Timbuctoo Historical Society said this neighborhood's history tells the story of Black people buying land and establishing institutions. Weston is a descendant of John Bruer who purchased parcels of land in 1829 and 1831. TIMBUCTOO, NJ - This Black History Month, FOX 29 is celebrating a community in South Jersey that's one of the few remaining African American settlements from the 19th century. What we know Timbuctoo was established as a free Black community in 1826, according to Guy Weston of the Timbuctoo Historical Society. Weston's fourth great-grandfather purchased a parcel of land in 1829 for $15 and a second parcel in 1831 for $15. Weston has pages of legal documents originating back to the purchase in the 1800s, but said he was unaware of them until the land was passed down to his mother when he was in his twenties. "We lived life that many years on Earth not knowing that the family had these wonderful treasures, and they really have given us insight into our family most people don't have," said Weston. "It's compelling, and it's inspiring, and it gives me a sense of identity of my past most people don't have." At its peak, Timbuctoo was home to more than 125 residents, there was a school on the corner called African Union School for Black children and the Zion Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal African Church and cemetery. About a dozen headstones from the 19th and early 20th centuries remain at the cemetery, and eight of the headstones belong to Black Civil War veterans. "We frequently and most typically talk about antebellum African American history by talking about enslavement and ugliness and mistreatment and while that certainly happened here, we also have a narrative of Black people buying land, Black people establishing institutions, Black people having their names written in the newspaper about various different things," said Weston. The historic nature of this community also attracted the attention of archaeologists from Temple University. In 2010 and 2011, researchers excavated and analyzed over 15,000 artifacts from Timbuctoo. Weston also showed us his family bible, which on the first page recorded the marriage of his great-great-grandparents in 1879. The marriages, births and deaths of family members are also recorded in the years that followed, starting in 1880. "Just sitting in the back looking at a tree, that tree is 100-years-old, so that means my great-grandfather was here when it was planted. Maybe he planted it himself," said Weston. For further information on Timbuctoo, visit the Timbuctoo Historical Society's website. What's next On March 14, Weston will join Dr. Chris Barton at Temple Anthropology Laboratory and Museum for a Fireside Chat titled "Unearthing the Layers: The Intersection of Race and Class in Timbuctoo, NJ". The public is welcome to attend 3 p.m. at Gladfelter Hall Room 107. Afterward, there will be a Timbuctoo Archaeologist Exhibit opening and reception. The Source The information in this story is from Guy Weston of the Timbuctoo Historical Society.
