Randolph Cemetery is a highly significant cultural resource in Columbia. Founded in 1871 by a small group of African–American men, the cemetery honors SC Sen. Benjamin Franklin Randolph. Randolph was assassinated by whites in 1868 while campaigning for the Republican party in Abbeville County.

This unique National Register cemetery is in dire need of preservation. Randolph Cemetery may be the only cemetery in the country to contain the remains of nine Reconstruction–era legislators. These African– American legislators served SC between 1868 and 1878. They are Sen. Henry Cardoza (Kershaw), 1870–74; Sen. William Fabriel Myers (Colleton), 1874–78; Rep. Robert John Palmer (Richland), 1876; Sen. William B. Nash (Richland), 1868–77; Sen. B.F. Randolph (Orangeburg), 1868; Rep. William Simons (Richland), 1868–72 and 1874–76; Rep. Samuel B. Thompson (Richland), 1868–74; Rep. Charles M. Wilder (Richland), 1868–70; and Sen. Lucius Wimbush (Chester), 1868–72.

Time, inadequate financial resources, and vandalism have taken a toll on the site. Conditions are critical and if the cemetery is to survive, there must be immediate intervention.

Michael Trinkley, Ph.D., and Elaine Nichols are partnering with the Randolph Cemetery Association to develop an action plan for preservation of the cemetery. Those interested are invited to a brief planning meeting to be held Tuesday, August 16 from 9 am to 11 am at the SC State Museum, 898–4953. History and the current conditions of the site will be discussed at the meeting. Ideas will be brainstormed to find ways to preserve the cemetery for generations to come.

It is hoped that those who care about Columbia’s history and heritage will band together and find a way to preserve this unique cultural gem.