South Carolina State House Bronze Stars

By February 1865 the Civil War was grinding toward its end, and Sherman's army had turned north from Georgia into South Carolina, the first state to secede. When his forces reached Columbia, they shelled the city, and much of downtown burned in a fire whose exact causes are still debated. In the midst of that day, Union cannon fire struck the new State House, then only partly built and standing exposed on its rise above the town.

The building survived, and when construction was eventually completed the marks left by the cannonballs were preserved rather than patched over. Six bronze stars were later mounted on the west and south exterior walls to mark where the shells hit, turning the damage into a memorial. Standing beside one of those stars, you are looking at the exact spot where the war physically touched the seat of state government.

The State House had a long and troubled construction history. Work on the granite building began in the 1850s to replace an earlier wooden capitol, but the project was plagued by delays, a dishonest early architect, and then the war itself, which halted everything and brought the shelling. After the war, work resumed in fits and starts, and the building was not truly finished until the very end of the nineteenth century.

The result is a dignified granite structure crowned by a copper dome, considered one of the handsomest capitols in the region. Inside, the chambers of the legislature, marble halls, and historical displays trace the workings and the past of state government, and guided tours lead visitors through the public spaces when the schedule allows.

The State House grounds are a shaded park in the middle of the city, planted with towering oaks, magnolias, and palmettos, the state tree that gives South Carolina its nickname. Paths wind among a collection of monuments and memorials that together form an outdoor record of how the state has chosen to remember its history, a record that has itself changed over time as attitudes and understandings shift.

Among the grounds' most significant modern additions is the African American History Monument, a large sculptural memorial that traces the journey of Black South Carolinians from the Middle Passage through slavery, emancipation, and the struggle for civil rights. Walking the grounds, a visitor moves through layers of memory, from Revolutionary and Civil War figures to more recent efforts to tell a fuller and more honest story.

The State House sits at the heart of downtown Columbia, so a visit fits easily into a broader walk through the capital. The University of South Carolina's historic Horseshoe, the state museums along the river, and the shops and eateries of the revived downtown are all within a short stroll, making the capitol a natural centerpiece for a day in the city.

The grounds are open and pleasant to walk in any season, though Columbia's summers run hot enough that shade and an early start are welcome. Spring and fall bring the mildest weather for exploring the exterior and hunting down each of the bronze stars, and the old shade trees keep the grounds cool and green through much of the year.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.