Scanlonville monument to be unveiled at the Charleston Museum

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A monument that was unearthed in the Scanlonville community last year will soon be on display in a downtown Charleston museum.

Archaeologists and neighbors worked together to exhume a more than 500-pound survey marker for the historic African American community in Feb. 2022 with the goal of displaying it at the Charleston Museum.

Nearly a year later, that marker and display will be unveiled during a special ceremony held at the museum on Saturday morning.

The former 614-acre Remley’s Plantation was purchased in 1868 at an auction in trust for the Charleston Land Company by John L. Scanlon and other freed slaves.

The monument was constructed at the corner of 3^rd Avenue and 2^nd Street signaling the Scanlonville community on February 14, 1870.

The community was described by Dr. Michael Trinkley as “an exception community, being successfully organized by African Americans as means of acquiring and distributing land,” according to the East Cooper Civic Club. Members of the public are invited to attend the unveiling. The Scanlonville community, descendants of the founders, and the great-great-granddaughter of John Scanlon are expected to attend.