Preserving the Burch’s Mill Site of the Swamp Fox’s Triumph (SC)
A bloody chapter of the Revolution ended at this historic SC site. Now it will be preserved
On the walls of the South Carolina Statehouse hangs a moment marking the end of the Revolutionary War — and the conclusion of a bloodstained episode in the state’s history.
The painting depicts a real-life event in which Gen. Francis Marion granted mercy to British soldiers he’d fought tooth and nail to defeat. It’s a moment that helped grow Marion’s myth and symbolizes the reunification of a state torn apart by the Revolution.
243 years later, the location depicted in the painting, known as Burch’s Mill, will be preserved for the public after Florence County purchased the historic site.
“It creates a great opportunity to tell the whole story of Florence County,” said Ben Zeigler about Burch’s Mill. Zeigler is a local attorney, chair of the Archaeological Institute for the Pee Dee and longtime advocate for the preservation of the area.
Florence County Council members unanimously agreed to spend $3.5 million to preserve the roughly 375-acre property on the Pee Dee River. County Administrator Kevin Yokim said plans are in their earliest stages, but the county is exploring how to use the site for archeology, historic education or other…