Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Cigar Factory / “We Shall Overcome”
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2013
1. Cigar Factory Marker
This five-story commercial building, built in 1882 as a textile mill, was known as the Charleston Manufacturing Company, then Charleston Cotton Mills, in its early years. Leased to the American Tobacco Company in 1903, the plant was sold to that company in 1912. Popularly called “the Cigar Factory,” it produced cigars such as Cremo and Roi~Tan until it closed in 1973. The Cigar Factory was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
“We Shall Overcome”
By the end of World War II the factory employed 1,400 workers, 900 of them black women. In October 1945, 1,200 workers walked out over discrimination and low wages. Strikers sang the gospel hymn “I’ll Overcome Someday.” Later revised as “We Shall Overcome,” it would become the anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. The strike ended in March 1946 with a settlement giving workers raises and promising better treatment.
Erected 2013 by Preservation Society of Charleston. (Marker Number 10 77.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1946.
Location. 32° 47.813′ N, 79° 56.082′
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Hampstead Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); The John N. Tidemann House (approx. 0.4 miles away); 28 Chapel Street (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Civil War Submarine, H.L. Hunley (approx. half a mile away); Camden Depot (approx. half a mile away); The Charleston Museum's Joseph Manigault House (approx. half a mile away); Building a Nation (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Railroad Comes To Charleston (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2013
2. “We Shall Overcome” Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2013
3. Cigar Factory Marker in Charleston
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2013
4. “We Shall Overcome” Marker in Charleston
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2013
5. The Cigar Factory
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2013
6. Cigar Factory
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,152 times since then and 103 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 6, 2013, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
