BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – For generations, the stories of Berkeley County’s Revolutionary War patriots have been scattered across historical records, family trees and fading memories. Now, hundreds of those names have a permanent public home.
A new display honoring 386 American Revolutionary War patriots with ties to present-day Berkeley County was installed July 1 at the future site of a planned Revolutionary War-themed park off U.S. Highway 52 in Moncks Corner. The display marks another step toward preserving the area’s Revolutionary War legacy while recognizing the sacrifices made by local patriots who helped secure America’s independence.
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The display is part of a larger vision for Revolutionary Park, which stems from a partnership between Berkeley County and the town of Moncks Corner after the two governments acquired the former Epson Plantation property, also known as Epson Oaks.
“Last year, we partnered with the county to acquire Epson Oaks, with plans for the county to build a park that will educate visitors about the 22 Revolutionary War battles fought in Berkeley County,” Moncks Corner Mayor Thomas Hamilton said in a recent social media post. “The town will assume responsibility for the park’s maintenance.”
Hamilton also praised local historian Keith Gourdin for helping bring the project to life.
“Keith Gourdin has been instrumental in efforts to launch this project,” Hamilton wrote. “Preserving these majestic oak trees is a significant achievement.”
Gourdin said the newly installed display is about ensuring the sacrifices of Berkeley County’s Revolutionary War patriots are never lost to history.
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“I feel there is an important task we can bring forth, memorializing names of the Berkeley County American Revolution patriots, who so valiantly fought and sacrificed so much for the independence of our country, thereby keeping memories of these people alive,” Gourdin said. “They should not, and must not, be forgotten. They gave too much for that to happen. We all owe them a lot.”
The memorial is the culmination of a personal mission Gourdin began in 2019 to identify Revolutionary War patriots who lived in, owned property in or held voting rights in what is now Berkeley County. His research includes both free and enslaved patriots who actively supported American independence between 1775 and 1783.
While Berkeley County did not officially exist under its current name during the Revolutionary War, Gourdin said the area played a critical role in the conflict. At the time, the region consisted of several colonial parishes within the Charleston District, including St. John’s Berkeley Parish, St. James Goose Creek Parish, St. Thomas and St. Denis Parish, St. James Santee Parish and St. Stephen’s Parish.
According to Gourdin, the region’s proximity to Charleston made it strategically vital, with patriot forces disrupting British supply lines and limiting the movement of supplies through the area.
“Being able to disable the British’s efforts to bring in and take out supplies actually crippled” British operations, Gourdin said, crediting General Francis Marion and numerous other patriot leaders for their efforts.
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Although the display currently features 386 names, Gourdin stresses that it remains a work in progress.
“I’m hoping folks will come out and see these family names and be enticed to call me with names of their patriot ancestors … who I know are out there,” he said. “Unless they give me names, I won’t know them or have them to add and grow the list.”
Gourdin’s long-term vision is for the growing roster of patriots to become a permanent granite memorial wall inside the park. He said he hopes the project will not only honor descendants of the county’s earliest families, but also educate newcomers about the area’s rich Revolutionary War history.
“Many descendants of our older county residents are still living here, and they need to know these Revolutionary War veterans — many of them their ancestors — gave up a lot to provide the independence we enjoy today,” Gourdin said. “Newcomers to our county also need to know the kind of people they came here to be with and learn more about these patriots of our county.”
Residents who believe an ancestor should be included on the memorial are encouraged to contact Gourdin at [email protected] or 843-509-3408. To be included, individuals must have actively supported American independence during the Revolutionary War and lived in, owned property in or held voting rights in what is now present-day Berkeley County.
SEE ALSO:
- From Revolution to Restoration: The Enduring Legacy of St. James Church
- A Colonial Masterpiece in Huger: The Enduring Legacy of Pompion Hill Chapel
