Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Setting Up Shop and Making Room for More Family

Photographed by Dave W, May 13, 2023

1. Setting Up Shop and Making Room for More Family Marker

Inscription.
The Mann-Simons property featured a building on this spot by the 1870s or 1880s. Represented by this steel frame structure, the building first contained shoe and furniture repair shops. In 1903, John Lucius Simons [b. 1859 - d. 1925 (?)] turned it into grocery. His brother, Charles [b. 1865 -d. 1933], and sister-in-law, Amanda [b. 1887 - d. 1960), took over the business two years later and ran it for thirty years. In the 1940s, Amanda rented the building to small business owners.

Extended family members typically rented the long, thin house that stood behind the store. Known as 1407 1/2 Richland Street, the building was built before 1872. Originally two rooms, it was enlarged with a bathroom addition during or after the 1910s. The structure is represented today by the partial frame.

Erected by Historic Columbia Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.

Location. 34° 0.712′ N, 81° 2.048′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. It is

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at the intersection of Richland Street and Marion Street, on the left when traveling east on Richland Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1403 Richland St, Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in 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: Agnes Jackson's Home (a few steps from this marker); Making History One Generation at a Time (a few steps from this marker); Mann-Simons Site (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named The Mann-Simons Site (a few steps from this marker); The Family's First Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Food for Thought (within shouting distance of this marker);

Photographed by Dave W, May 13, 2023

2. Setting Up Shop and Making Room for More Family Marker

Out With the Old and In With the New (within shouting distance of this marker); Prosperity and Property Ownership (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Mann-Simons Cottage (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Mann-Simons Site. The Mann-Simons Site, home to the same entrepreneurial African American family for nearly 130 years, now traces the journey of Columbia’s Black community from enslavement through urban renewal. (Submitted on December 24, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 169 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 22, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.