Plumbers in Lincolnville, SC

Officially incorporated in 1889, Lincolnville quickly became a place where formerly enslaved families flocked during Reconstruction. In these early years, community leaders built a one-room jail, established a small school and formed churches.

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Lincolnville Elementary School class from the 1940s. Provided

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To many, Lincolnville is a place on the route between Ladson and Summerville. Wade Spees/Staff Friday, October 12, 2018

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Lincolnville’s history was compiled and written by Christine W. Hampton and Rosalee Washington. Wade Spees/Staff Monday, October 15, 2018

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Thought to be the oldest house in Lincolnville. Wade Spees/Staff Monday, October 15, 2018

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“Community is oneness. We want them to know the love of God. We want to demonstrate the kind of character Christ has,” said Jane Bruno and Donna Turner (right) during a noonday prayer meeting in Lincolnville on Monday, October 15, 2018. Wade Spees/Staff

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Lincolnville’s long history is tied to its location near a railroad artery. Wade Spees/Staff Friday, October 12, 2018

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Lincolnville’s jail is its oldest building, from the late-1800s. Wade Spees/Staff Monday, October 15, 2018

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“Our goal is to help get the town on the map,” says Rev. Edward Johnson who wants to highlight community’s history — including its oldest building — a jail from the late-1800s.

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Efforts to obtain a historical marker for Lincolnville were led by New Vision Cathedral’s Rev. Edward Johnson. Wade Spees/Staff Monday, October 15, 2018

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From Sue Austin of Summerville, “This is an artist in action in Loreto, Italy. It is in the piazza of the Basilica della Santa Casa in the LeMarche region of Ancona.”

From Sherrill Biggers of Charleston, “Walking north on Anson Street and looking down Guignard Street, you have to look twice to see that the horse, and his/her window, are not real, but instead are street art at its most realistic. Taken in the summer of 2021 at Old South Carriage Co. in Ansonborough.”

From Kay Bilisoly of Goose Creek, an image of Graffiti Park in Goose Creek.

From Ronald Allan Charles of Goose Creek, “Interesting painting on wall of a café in Corte, Corsica.”

From Merv Gibson of Charleston, “The ‘Hat Man’ mural was painted on the wall of the 48 Broad Street building in Charleston, SC, to advertise the Plenge Haberdashery. The entire painting is a montage of hats.”

From Carl Johnson of Mount Pleasant, “Cologne, Germany in August 2022. A message from the street artist that rings especially true in today’s crazy world.”

From Rosemary O’Grady of Goose Creek, “Photo taken in Philadelphia, PA, in 2011.”

From Russell Read of Mount Pleasant, “Photo taken in Hattiesburg, MS at the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum.”

From Ken Schaub of Daniel Island, “Framed art on the side of an old building in Pickens, SC.”

From Herbert Schiller of Mount Pleasant, “Street art in Valparaiso, Chile.”

From Lara Wilson of Mount Pleasant, “A mural on a street in Lisbon, Portugal.”

From Louis Yuhasz of Sullivan’s Island, “This photo was taken at the Mas X Menos grocery store in Jaco, Costa Rica, where the street art is truly amazing.”

LINCOLNVILLE, SC (WCSC) - Military families are rallying to preserve an abandoned Lincolnville cemetery with veterans buried from World War I and World War II.

There are also veterans buried dating back to the 1800s.

The cemetery is tucked behind the woods off of Lincolnville near Greenwood Street.

Disabled Veteran Shirley Zinn has been on a mission since 2015 to protect the property and find out who is buried there.

"This angers me. These people are forgotten. How many stones out here say 'gone but never forgotten.' This is forgotten," Zinn said.

For the past few years she along with others have placed flags by the graves of veterans for Memorial Day.

The property has not been maintained so several markers have been covered and it's difficult to walk through the grave site because the grass and plants are overgrown.

"Honestly our veterans need to be honored. We need to have stones where they lay," Zinn said.

Zinn says at least 15 grave markers are gone since her first visit a few years ago.

While at the site she uncovered one today.

"They're not in here or they're so deeply buried we can't find them," Zinn said.

Leaders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3433 in Ladson are helping to preserve the cemetery.

They have a vision of transforming the space.

"Make it into a park where people can come out and visit their loved ones," said Junior Vice Commander of the VFW Post 3433, Robert Zdenek.

They're asking for help in restoring the property because there is a large amount of work to do.

"For them to be forgotten completely and literally just thrown to the rubble the way this place has been maintained is totally unacceptable," said Commander of the VFW Post 3433 Todd Howard.

The cemetery backs up to the Lakes of Summerville. There's a fence that separates them.

"They deserve to be remembered for their lives for what they've done, not only the veterans but the other people who are buried here as well," District 1 Commander for the VFW Department of South Carolina Edwin Tufts said.

Zinn says in 2015 she counted 27 non-military people buried there and about 21 World War I and World War II veterans buried there.

"If you put on that uniform, no matter what uniform it was, you honored our country and we deserve to honor you back," Zinn said.

The group will attend the Lincolnville Town Hall Meeting next Wednesday at 7 p.m. to make town officials aware of the conditions of the cemetery in hopes of getting help to maintain it.

If you'd like to help with the efforts you can reach the Junior Vice Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3433 at 843-568-6811.

Copyright 2018 WCSC. All rights reserved.

It’s not every day that a whole town gets added to a national historic network, but that’s what happened Tuesday for Lincolnville, a town of about 2,500 people on the edge of Charleston County near Summerville.

The National Park Service announced Tuesday that Lincolnville and four other sites were new additions to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, a group of sites largely centered on South Carolina that help to tell the story of American Reconstruction after the Civil War. It’s part of an effort established in 2019 to create the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park in Beaufort.

Lincolnville’s part of the Reconstruction story is key to understanding the transformation that the United States underwent as newly freed African Americans became integrated into the country’s social, political, economic and labor systems.

Lincolnville, the Park Service said in a news release, is a “freedmen’s town founded in 1867 by seven African American men who purchased 620 acres to create a community of homes, churches and schools for African American people, primarily of Gullah Geechee heritage, who had migrated from the Sea Islands.”

Some of the descendents of original settlers still live today in the small town “among original structures, cemeteries and live oak trees, actively preserving their rich Gullah Geechee heritage and celebrating their ancestors’ ability to overcome adversity during Reconstruction to found Lincolnville.”

“These sites tell critical stories related to the Reconstruction Era,” said Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Superintendent Scott Teodorski in the release. “They join sites from across the country that focus on this important period in our history. We are pleased to welcome these new sites to the network and work with them to share their stories.”

The Rev. Richard Cain (1825-1887), a major Reconstruction leader who pastored Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church after the war, is credited with leading the effort to found Lincolnville. He later was elected to the state Senate in 1868 and served two terms in the U.S. Congress.

“He also purchased more than 500 acres of land about 25 miles north of Charleston and sold lots to African Americans,” according to “We Are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel” by Herb Frazier, Bernard Powers and Marjory Wentworth. “These initial sales were the basis for the settlement of Lincolnville, which Cain planned to become an all-black town in which the residents could show their capacity for discipline, order and prosperity.”

About half of Lincolnville’s residents today are Black, according to Census Reporter.

Three other South Carolina sites added to the Reconstruction network Tuesday were Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site in Aiken County; Randolph Cemetery in Columbia; and the Schofield Normal and Industrial School in Aiken. Also added was the D.C. Legacy Project: Barry Farm-Hillsdale in southeast Washington, D.C.

On June 29, a historical marker was dedicated at the Lincolnville Town Office to commemorate the Lincolnville Elementary School, located at the same building from 1924 to 1969.

Former students, staff, administrators and city government officials flocked to the event. Pictures were displayed, stories were told and memories were shared. The glee club even reunited to sing “Every Time I Feel the Spirit.”

Former Principal Eugene Willis said that it was an honor to see all of his students return to honor their former school and take pride in it.

Lincolnville School was one of over 5,000 schools built by the Rosenwald Foundation, established by Julius Rosenwald, part owner of the Sears, Roebuck, and Company. His mission was to build schools for African-American children across the South.

Construction was completed in 1924 for $6,100, and the local school was the area's first public school for African-American children. Four teachers taught first through eighth grade until 1953, when it was expanded to Lincolnville Elementary School; afterward the school only offered grades first through seventh. The facility closed in 1969 after the desegregation of Charleston County Schools.

In 2008, an effort commenced to try and preserve the school, and the Lincolnville Elementary School Alumni Foundation was established to meet that goal. In November, the foundation focused on securing a historical marker and received donations for the project from alumni who had moved as far away as Sweden.

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“People should always remember their roots and heritage and take pride in it and pass it from generation to generation,” said Anna Ruth Williams Gleaton, chairperson of the foundation.

Gleaton was happy to see the marker finally in place.

“It is just so wonderful to see it,” she said. “I know our parents would be so proud of us.”

Fellow alumnus Christine Hampton also marveled at the large number of former students who returned for the dedication.

In addition to the $2,200 price tag for the marker, a large project cost was landscaping improvements on the property, which alumni also helped fund.

Charles Duberry, Lincolnville mayor and former Lincolnville Elementary School student, said that they are all one big family and thanked all community members for turning the foundation's dream into a reality.

Rosalee Washington, who attended the school and later returned to teach, said she believes the marker will now keep the school's legacy alive.

LADSON, S.C. (WCBD) – Are you frustrated with traffic backups in Ladson? One resident has what they feel would be a simple fix to help alleviate a major intersection.

The traffic pattern and potholes at the intersection of Lincolnville and Ladson roads have been a source of frustration for many drivers in the Ladson area. The area sees backups during the morning and afternoon rush hours often.

One News 2 viewer who drives through the intersection daily believes a turn lane could make all the difference.

Karen Fonkert said that with so many neighborhoods on Lincolnville Road – and even more being built – backups in Ladson are only getting worse. Especially at the Lincolnville/Ladson Road intersection. She said what is normally an eight-minute commute with no traffic, is often much longer.

“Usually, it’s about a 20-minute wait, just at the light. It backs way up, about a half mile, normally. And so if there’s an accident anywhere along there, it’s even worse,” said Fonkert.

As it stands now, cars move left to leave space for those turning right. But instead of a right turn lane, cars have to traverse a mess of dirt and potholes where the road drops off.

In fact, Fonkert said she once saw a truck break its axle when its tire fell into a pothole. But she says some new pavement could solve the problem.

“What I really think would help, and a lot of people have said this too, if there were a right turn lane. That would allow traffic to keep going through, and it maybe wouldn’t back up so far back on Lincolnville Road,” she said.

The roadway is maintained by the state. News 2 asked officials with the South Carolina Department of Transportation if they would be willing to look into paving a legitimate turn lane – but unfortunately, they only came up with this response:

“There are not any upcoming projects planned for this intersection.” They encouraged any concerned residents to reach out to their customer service center.

If this intersection drives you crazy, you can let SCDOT know. And if there’s any other roadway issue, you’d like for us to look into, send an email to mfee@wcbd.com.