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Orangeburg in Orangeburg County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

The Orangeburg Massacre

 
 
The Orangeburg Massacre Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2009
1. The Orangeburg Massacre Marker
Inscription. On February 8, 1968, after three nights of escalating racial tension over efforts by S.C. State College students and others to desegregate the All Star Bowling Lanes, 3 students died and 27 others were wounded on this campus. S.C. Highway Patrolmen fired on a crowd here, killing Samuel Hammond Jr., Delano Middleton, and Henry Smith. This tradegy was the first of its kind on any American college campus.
 
Erected 2000 by South Carolina State University. (Marker Number 38-27.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansCivil RightsNotable Events. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1888.
 
Location. 33° 29.701′ N, 80° 51.308′ W. Marker is in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in Orangeburg County. Marker is on Watson Street (State Highway 38-226) just south of Gathers Street, on the left when traveling south. Located at the Watson Street and US 601 merge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Orangeburg SC 29117, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. South Carolina State University (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (within shouting distance of this marker);
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Trinity United Methodist Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Claflin College (approx. 0.2 miles away); Civil Rights Meetings / Sit-in March (approx. 0.2 miles away); Episcopal Church of the Redeemer and Graveyard (approx. 0.2 miles away); Church of the Redeemer (approx. ¼ mile away); Judge Glover's Home (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Orangeburg.
 
Also see . . .  Orangeburg Massacre, Wikipedia entry. The incident pre-dated the Kent State shootings and Jackson State killings.( by 2 years) (Submitted on December 9, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.) 
 
Additional keywords. desegregation
 
The Orangeburg Massacre Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mike Stroud, November 15, 2009
2. The Orangeburg Massacre Marker
All Star Bowling Lane image. Click for full size.
S.C. Dept. of Archives and History, circa 1996
3. All Star Bowling Lane
The All Star Bowling Lanes and its parking lot is significant for its role in the confrontation at South Carolina State College during February of 1968, commonly referred to as the “Orangeburg Massacre.” Most of Orangeburg’s public accommodations desegregated soon after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but the management of the All Star Bowling Lanes refused to do so claiming that such establishments were not covered under the new law. As the city’s only bowling alley, this segregationist policy inflamed local African-Americans, especially the students at S.C. State and Claflin. Desegregation attempts in the years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were unsuccessful. In 1968, protests occurred in the bowling alley on January 29 and February 5.
All Star Bowling Lane image. Click for full size.
S.C. Dept of Archives & History, circa 1996
4. All Star Bowling Lane
On February 6 a violent confrontation occurred in the bowling alley’s parking lot. These events culminated two nights later with the shooting on the campus of S.C. State. The significance of the property is further increased by the ineligibility of other properties associated with the shooting at S.C. State due to demolition or loss of integrity. The bowling alley was built in the early 1960s as part of a shopping center development. The current commercial setting for the All Star Bowling Lanes is the same as its historic one
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 9, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,760 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 9, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024