Near Cross in Berkeley County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Thomas Sumpter’s Store

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 25, 2025

1. Thomas Sumpter’s Store Marker, Side One

Inscription. Thomas Sumter, influential militia leader in the American Revolution, kept a store in this area about 1765-1767. Born in 1734 in Virginia, he served in the colonial militia and visited Charleston during a 1762 diplomatic mission with the Cherokees. He later fled a Virginia debtor’s prison and established himself as a merchant here in St. John’s Berkeley Parish, acquiring land and enslaved people.

His store was located where traffic to the Upcountry split between the Road to the Congarees and Nelson’s Ferry Road. Sumter moved across the Santee River to St. Mark’s Parish in circa 1767. Nicknamed the “Gamecock,” during the Revolutionary War he rose to the rank of Brigadier General of the S.C. militia in 1780, Later a state and national legislator, Sumter died in Stateburg, S.C. in 1832.

Erected 2023 by Department of Archives and History. Sponsored by Berkeley North Historical and Cultural Association. (Marker Number 8-81.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical year for this entry is 1734.

Location. 33° 22.743′ N,

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80° 13.733′ W. Marker is near Cross, South Carolina, in Berkeley County. It is on Old Highway 6 (South Carolina Route 45) near Nicholas Drive, on the right when traveling west. Nicholas Drive loops and intersects with SC-45 twice. The marker is at the westernmost of the two intersections with Nicholas Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 396 Nicholas Dr, Cross SC 29436, 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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Berkeley County (approx. ¾ mile away); Who Won? (approx. 4½ miles away); A Bastion of Brick

Thomas Sumpter’s Store Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 25, 2025

2. Thomas Sumpter’s Store Marker, Side Two

(approx. 4½ miles away); The British Caught by Surprise (approx. 4½ miles away); The Quest for Freedom (approx. 4½ miles away); a different marker also named Battle of Eutaw Springs (approx. 4½ miles away); Battle of Eutaw (approx. 4½ miles away); Grave of Major Majoribanks / Northampton (approx. 4½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cross.

Other markers no longer nearby. Thomas Sumter's Store (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Battle of Eutaw Springs (was approx. 4½ miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Victory in Defeat / A Close and Deadly Clash of Veteran Troops (was approx. 4½ miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); A Determined Defense by a Brave Commander (was approx. 4½ miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry for Thomas Sumter. Excerpt:

According to Henry Timberlake's journal, ... the party arrived in the Overhill town of Tomotley on December 20, where they were greeted by the town’s head man, Ostenaco (or “Mankiller”)
Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 25, 2025

3. Thomas Sumpter’s Store Marker
and soon found themselves participants in a peace pipe ceremony. In the following weeks, Sumter and the group attended peace ceremonies in several Overhill towns, such as Chota, Citico, and Chilhowee.

The party returned to Williamsburg, Virginia, accompanied by several Beloved Men of the Cherokee, arriving on the James River in early April 1762. While in Williamsburg, Ostenaco professed a desire to meet the king of England, and in May 1762, Sumter traveled to England with Timberlake and three distinguished Cherokee leaders, including Ostenaco.

Arriving in London in early June, the Indians were an immediate attraction, drawing crowds all over the city. The three Cherokee then accompanied Sumter back to America, landing in South Carolina on or about August 25, 1762.

(Submitted on April 15, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)

Thomas Sumpter image. Click for full size.

Wikimedia Commons copy of an oil painting by Rembrandt Peale, circa 1796

4. Thomas Sumpter

Credits. This page was last revised on April 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 301 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 15, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.