Eau Claire in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Lincoln Park

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 26, 2024

1. Lincoln Park Marker, Side One

Inscription. Lincoln Park, a segregated park for African Americans, was opened at this site in 1901 by the Columbia Electric Street Railway Co. Development in this part of Columbia, then known as “the highlands,” began in the 1890s when rail service was extended from downtown. Following complaints from white riders traveling to nearby Hyatt Park, the company created Lincoln Park as part of efforts to segregate its previously integrated rail line to the highlands.

Black residents from across Columbia visited Lincoln Park for walks, picnics, musical performances, and camp meetings. Approx. 4,000 people attended the park's formal opening in July 1901. It originally had an auditorium and outdoor theater. By 1903. Lincoln Park had been combined with Hyatt Park for the use of whites. In 1905, a Va.-based firm bought 100 acres of surrounding land to develop the whites-only Park Place neighborhood and formally renamed this “Lake Park.”

Erected 2021 by City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department. (Marker Number 40 220.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Parks & Recreational Areas • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1901.

Location. 34° 2.104′ N, 81° 2.594′

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W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Eau Claire. It is at the intersection of Byrd Avenue and Fern Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Byrd Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1100 Byrd Ave, Columbia SC 29203, 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 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: I. DeQuincey Newman Freeway (approx. 0.9 miles away); I. DeQuincey Newman House (approx. 0.9 miles away); Site of the Surrender of Columbia, SC (approx. 0.9 miles away); Geiger Ave. Cemetery (approx. 0.9 miles away); S.C. Confederate Soldiers’ Home (approx. 1.1 miles away); Confederate Soldiers Home (approx. 1.1 miles away); Benjamin Mack House (approx. 1.3 miles away); Confederate Soldiers 1861-1865 (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Lincoln Park Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 26, 2024

2. Lincoln Park Marker, Side Two

Lincoln Park Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 26, 2024

3. Lincoln Park Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 138 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 5, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.