Orangeburg in Orangeburg County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Civil Rights Meetings
⎯⎯⎯
Sit-in March
Photographed by Dave W, May 17, 2023
1. Civil Rights Meetings side of marker
Civil Rights Meetings. In the early 1960s, this campus was an important meeting place for local college students organizing for civil rights. Organizers included students from Claflin College and neighboring S.C. State College. They chose to meet here due to opposition by the administration and trustees at S.C. State, a state-supported school. Campus sites where students planned sit-ins, marches, and other events included a bell tower, a bandstand, and Seabrook Gymnasium.
Sit-in March. On March 15, 1960, approx. 1,000 students peacefully marched from this site to downtown Orangeburg to conduct sit-ins at several segregated establishments. They departed Claflin in groups and were eventually attacked with fire hoses and tear gas. Nearly 400 protesters were arrested. The march was one of the largest demonstrations of the 1960 sit-in movement and helped galvanize local African American support for civil rights activism in Orangeburg.
Erected 2021 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History, sponsored by Claflin University and WeGOJA Foundation. (Marker Number 38-47.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights
this page online
Location. 33° 29.837′ N, 80° 51.259′ W. Marker is in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in Orangeburg County. It is on Claflin Circle east of Magnolia Street (U.S. 601), on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 117 Claflin Cir, Orangeburg SC 29115, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry and in Santee Cooper Country. 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: Claflin College (within shouting distance of this marker); Episcopal Church of the Redeemer and Graveyard (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); South Carolina State University (about 700 feet away); Trinity United Methodist Church (about 800 feet away); The Orangeburg Massacre (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Christ the King Catholic School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Felton Training School & Teacherage (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Orangeburg.
Also see . . . Civil Rights Movement History 1960: Mass Arrest of Student Protesters, Orangeburg, SC. (Feb-March). Civil Rights Movement Archive website entry:
Orangeburg is small (14,000), politically conservative, and rigidly segregated.(Submitted on May 18, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado.)Blacks make up a majority of the town's population. It is home to a pair of Black colleges on adjacent campuses. South Carolina State (SCSC) is publicly funded and politically dominated by the white power-structure. Founded in 1869, Claflin University is privately funded and the oldest Black institution of higher learning in South Carolina.Photographed by Dave W, May 17, 20232. Sit-in March side of marker
Photographed by Dave W, May 17, 2023
3. Civil Rights Meetings / Sit-in March Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 18, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 388 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 18, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
