North Augusta in Aiken County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Meriwether Monument
Hero of the Hamburg Riot
(South face):
———
In Memory of Thomas McKie Meriwether.
(East face):
In youths clad mourning the unfinished years of manhood stretching before him, with clear knowledge and courageous willingness, he accepted death and found forever the grateful remembrance of all who know high and generous service in the maintaining of those civic and social institutions which the men and women of his race and struggled through the centuries to establish in South Carolina.
(North face):
In life he exemplified the highest ideal of Anglo-Saxon civilization. By his death he assured to the children of his beloved land the supremacy of that ideal.
(West face):
This memorial is erected to the young hero of the Hamburg Riot, by the state, under an act of the general assembly, with the aid of admiring friends.
Erected 1916 by South Carolina General Assembly.
Topics. This historical marker and monument is listed in this topic list: Notable Events. A significant historical date for this entry is July 8, 1876.
Location. 33° 29.859′ N, 81° 58.172′ W. Marker is in North Augusta, South Carolina, in Aiken County. Marker is on Carolina Avenue near W. Forest Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: North Augusta SC 29841, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. North Augusta (within shouting distance of this marker); James Urquhart Jackson (within shouting distance of this marker); Hampton Terrace Hotel (approx. 0.3 miles away); Grenada Panama Persian Gulf Tribute (approx. 0.4 miles away); Viet Nam War Tribute (approx. 0.4 miles away); Korean War Tribute (approx. 0.4 miles away); World War II Tribute (approx. 0.4 miles away); World War I Tribute (approx. half a mile away); Spanish American War Tribute (approx. half a mile away); War Between The States Tribute (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in North Augusta.
Also see . . . Wikipedia entry for the Hamburg Massacre. The Hamburg Massacre (or Hamburg Riot) was a key event of South Carolina Reconstruction. (Submitted on August 12, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Additional commentary.
1. Monument only lists one of the individuals who died in the incident the marker commerates.
While Mr. Meriwether was indeed killed in the fighting commemorated by this obelisk, he was one of at least seven citizens killed in this incident (alternatively remembered as a 'riot' or 'massacre' depending on point of view). Mr. Meriwether was the only 'white' citizen to die as a result. The other six casualties were not. Further information can be found in Wikipedia (link provided above) or in the historian Stephen Budiansky's account of the incident in his book The Bloody Shirt - Terror After The Civil War.
— Submitted January 19, 2009, by Bob Smith of Fairfax, Vermont.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 4,655 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 12, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.