Columbia’s Street Markers

State Senator John Lewis Gervais moved from Charleston to the Ninety-Six district and felt that the state capitol should be centrally located. His bill was approved in March of 1786. As our state’s founding fathers began laying out the new capital city, they decided to pay homage to many of SC’s American Revolution patriots. Of the 50+ American Revolution-related historic markers in Lake Murray Country, the majority of them are in Downtown Columbia. From our famous guerilla-style leaders Francis Marion (The Swamp Fox), Thomas Sumter (The Gamecock), and Andrew Pickens (The Wizard Owl), to Brigadier Generals like Stephen Bull and Isaac Huger many of the streets have Patriot ties. Have you ever turned onto Laurens St. not realizing that it was named for Lt. Col. John Laurens, now made famous by the musical Hamilton?