Hampton Park Terrace in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
First Memorial Day
September 4, 2022
1. First Memorial Day Marker (front)
Hampton Park was once home to the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club. In 1864 this site became an outdoor prison for Union soldiers. Before Charleston fell in Feb. 1865, more than 250 prisoners died and were buried in mass graves. After Confederate evacuation, black ministers and northern missionaries led an effort to reinter bodies and build a fence around a newly established cemetery. Over the entrance workmen inscribed the words "Martyrs of the Racecourse."
On May 1, 1865 a parade to honor the Union war dead took place here. The event marked the earliest celebration of what became known as "Memorial Day." The crowd numbered in the thousands, with African American school children from newly formed Freedmen's Schools leading the parade. They were followed by church leaders, Freedpeople, Unionists, and members of the 54th Mass., 34th, and 104th U.S. Colored Infantries. The dead were later reinterred in Beaufort.
Erected 2017 by City of Charleston. (Marker Number 10-99.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is May 1, 1865.
Location. 32° 48.034′ N, 79° 57.462′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston and in the Lowcountry. 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: Denmark Vesey (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); H.M.S. Seraph (approx. 0.2 miles away); Anchor of the U.S.S. Coral Sea (approx. Ό mile away); Citadel Flag (approx. Ό mile away); CPT Christopher James Kenny (approx. Ό mile away); Thunderbolt (approx. Ό mile away); Lt. Frank Elwood Bloomenshine and Lt. James Futrell Exley (approx. Ό mile away); Genevieve Kanapaux McMahon (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.
September 4, 2022
2. First Memorial Day Marker (back)
September 4, 2022
3. First Memorial Day Marker Wide View
Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2022. This page has been viewed 4,728 times since then and 505 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 4, 2022. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
