Staff reports
When we think of the Revolutionary War, we often conjure up thoughts of Valley Forge and the Crossing of the Delaware. But mischief was afoot in bucolic colonial South Carolina, as well.
And while Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, was creating havoc north of here, others like Thomas Heyward, Jr. and William Moultrie were making history in the Beaufort District.
The Beaufort County Historical Society, the Beaufort Public Library’s Beaufort District Collection, and the Beaufort County 250th Committee have combined forces to make it easy and fun for visitors and residents alike to discover Beaufort’s rich Revolutionary War past by playing “Revealing the Revolution: One Marker at a Time!” — a free and self-guided historical marker scavenger hunt.
Through July 2, participants simply need to pick up a Scavenger Hunt brochure from any Beaufort Branch Library (or bookmobile) and set out to find the markers listed inside. Brochures can also be downloaded and printed from the Beaufort County Historical Society Website.
A QR code on the front of the brochure provides a Google map of all marker locations, and each marker’s text supplies the answers to questions that must be completed.
Locate five markers, and participants receive a “Revealing the Revolution Marker Hunt” car sticker. Visit 10 markers, and they receive the car sticker and a beautiful commemorative coin for their efforts. Visit all 15 markers listed, and they earn the first two prizes and the chance to win the grand prize, a 22-inch-by-26-inch framed replica of the Robert Mills 1825 map of Beaufort District.
Completed game sheets can be dropped off at the Branch libraries or mailed directly to the BCHS, which will send out prizes by July 30, 2026.
Sample brochures will be provided to Beaufort County teachers of American History in 8th and 11th grades to generate some “buzz” among students about local contributions to the American Revolution. They will be eligible to win prizes too, based on their level of participation.
Don’t like to drive? Take part in an “in-house” version of the Scavenger Hunt at each Branch Library and Bookmobile location. “Tour” the markers from the comfort of a chair with a special brochure listing five historical markers and the actual marker text. Participants must answer a question about each one to earn their car sticker — you don’t even need a library card to play.
“This exciting program will give locals and tourists a reason to stop and absorb these historical tidbits as we all celebrate the many ways Beaufort District helped shape the Revolutionary War effort,” Beaufort County Historical Society project planner Leah Roche said in a news release.
