Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-07-25
The GOVERNORS MANSION
Building Said to be Due to Negroes
Massacre Plot In 1900.
WAS ONCE A BOARDING HOUSE
For Some Reason Mansion Was Not
Fired BY Sherman IN 1ss5-Im-
provements Have Been Made From
Time N Time

+. II. McMaster in Columbia Record.
1t might be lightly said, to Den
mark Vesey, a San Domingo negro,
who drew $500 prize in an East
Bay, street lottery, in Charleston, in
1SOO,, is due the building of the gov
ernor's mansion in Columbia.
Denmark had been a slave Of Capt.
Vesey, an old resident of Charleston in
Revolutionary times, and who after
wards became engaged in the slave
trade. Denmark was an unusually
bright negro and a good carpenter.
When he drew the s1,509 prize he paid
5000 for his freedom, and went into
business as a free person of color" in
Charleston. Encouraged by the sue
cess of Toussaint rOverture, who had
freed the slaves and driven the white
man out of Haiti, the northern prov
ince of San Domingo, Denmark Vesey
laid his plans. for doing likewise in
South Carolina. The date fixed for
making the attempt was June 16, 1922.
But the plans for the massacre were
discovered and Denmark and 81 other
ringleaders were executed and 43 9TH
ers transported.
Following this, the same year, an act
was passed establishing q municipal
guard for the city of Charleston,
the erection of an ;,csenal for the de-
posit of arms and for the use of the
guard.
After Robert Y. Hayne had delivered
his immortal reply to Daniel Webster,
in 1880. and South Carolina defied her
in 1882 became governor Of South Caro-
own son, Andrew Jackson, then presi-
dent of the United States and passed
the act of Nullifcation, when Hayne,
olina, 100000 was appropriated to
provide munitions of war, should such
be necessary, and to enlarge the Cit
adel" in Charleston and establish the
Arsenal in Columbia.
This was South Cardinals standing
army, consisting of two companies,
one at the Citadel in Charleston, and
the other at the Arsenal in Columbia,
at an annual cost for maintenance of
$4,000 for the Citadel and $4,000 for
the Arsenal. Various amounts have
been appropriated for business and
equipment.
In 1S41 Governor John Peter Rich
ardson, father of Gov. John Peter
Richardson of 1SS6-90, proposed to the
legislature that these two establish
ments be converted into military
schools, which, he believed would prove
"one exception at least, to the hitherto
entire and unmitigated failure of all
her efforts to educate her INDECENT
youth"
He did not succeed in his efforts,
but his successor, Gov. J. H. Ham,
mon, proposed a plan of enlarged
scope, and induced the legislature to
make the transformation by act pass
ed in 1912. The Citadel was the fin
ishing school, whose superintendent
had the rank of major, and the Arse
nal was the secondary school, it's su-
perinte2dent having the rank Of cap
tain. Pl lomotions among the officers
caused transfers back and forth be-
tween the two institutions, the senior
officer going to the Citadel. In 1861.
Capt. John 2. Thomas, father Of John
p. Thomas, Jr., of Columbia, was su-
perintendent of the Arsenal in Colum-
bia, and Captain Hugh s. Thompson,
later governor of South Carolina, was
second ranking professor at the Cita-
del.
Previous to this in 1868, Capt. c. c.
Tew was superintendent of the Arse
tablish the Hillsboro N. c.. Military
Academy, and later died on the field
of battle at Sharpsburg. as colonel OF
the Second North Carolina state
troops. He was the father of Charles
NJ. Tew of Columbia. Colonel Tew
was one of many splendid patriots
from the Arsenal who died for the
ConfeGeacy.
When the Arsenal closed it's doors in
1868 and the 80 cadets took the field
under command of Captain Thomas.
the buildings on Arsenal Hill consisted
of the present Governors Mansion,
which was a double brick house for
professors, built in 1855, and the main
building of brick which faced north and
stood in the centre OF the block on
which the Mansion now stands. The
central portion was three stories high
and contained the class rooms. The
wings were two stories. The right, or
eastern wing, was the residence of the
superintendent and other professors,
and the left or western wing was the
barracks of the cadets. An ell extend
ed south from this, in which the
| library. In the rear of the main
building was the parade ground and
armory. The Arsenal reservation con-
tanned eight acres. the roadway and
block to the south OF the present
grounds being within the enclosure.
All of the buildings were burned
when Governor Sherman passed
through Columbia February 18th, 1865,
except the present Governors Man