Georgetown in Georgetown County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
James A. Bowley
Photographed by Kent C Hermes, September 21, 2021
1. James A. Bowley Marker, both sides
In the 1870's, this was the home of James Alfred Bowley (c.1844-1891). Born enslaved in Maryland, Bowley was the great nephew of Harriet Tubman (c.1822-1913). In 1850, Tubman and Bowley's free father organized a plan to free Bowley and his mother and sister, making them the first enslaved people that Tubman helped emancipate. Bowley attended school in Philadelphia before rejoining his family in Canada. During the Civil War, he served as a landsman in the United States Navy.
After the war, Bowley moved to Georgetown and worked for the Freedmen's Bureau as a teacher. By 1870, he had married Laura Clark (1854-1932) and lived at this location. They sold the home in 1880. Bowley served in the S.C. House (1869-1874) and was trustee for the University of S.C. when it was briefly integrated. In 1874, a rivalry with another black Republican led to a violent clash that made national news. Bowley also founded the short-lived Georgetown Planet newspaper.
Erected 2019 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History, sponsored by The Gullah Geechee Chamber and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. (Marker Number 22 66.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans
this page online
Location. 33° 22.219′ N, 79° 17.04′ W. Marker is in Georgetown, South Carolina, in Georgetown County. It is on 231 King Street just south of Highmarket Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 231 King St, Georgetown SC 29440, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s Pee Dee and on Waccamaw Neck. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Methodists (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bethesda Baptist Church (about 500 feet away); Rainey-Camlin House (about 500 feet away); Joseph Hayne Rainey (about 600 feet away); Howard School (about 600 feet away); The HUB (about 700 feet away); Mount Olive Baptist Church (about 700 feet away); 924 Front Street (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Georgetown.
Additional keywords. The Reconstruction Era
Photographed by Kent C Hermes, September 21, 2021
2. James A. Bowley Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2021, by Kent C Hermes of Georgetown, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 613 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2021, by Kent C Hermes of Georgetown, South Carolina. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
