Friends of Live Oak African American Cemetery

Friends of Live Oak African American Cemetery Live Oak African American Cemetery was founded in 1890 as a burial site for members of St.

Friends of Live Oak African American Cemetery is an unofficial group looking to spark interest in the preservation and care of Walterboro, SC's historic Live Oak African American Cemetery, circa 1890. Augustine's Episcopal Church (modern Church of Atonement), but it very quickly became a cemetery for members of the African American community of all denominations. The original 2 1/4 acres, forming

the oldest section of the cemetery, was donated by Joseph Dorman, a blacksmith and one of the most extensive local black landowners. The cemetery is the final resting place of some of the most noted educators, politicians, civil servants, businessmen and women, religious leaders, etc of the town's African American community from the late 19th and early 20th century. It is also the burial site of at least three veterans of the United States Colored Troops from the 35th USCT and the 21st USCT, as well as William A. Driffle, a three-time member of the SC House of Representatives from the late 19th Century. There were two additions to the cemetery - in 1950 and again in the late 20th century. Each section of the cemetery is owned by a different entity, most of whom are not local. With no single organization with oversight of the cemetery, and many families who had been traditionally buried in the cemetery moving to newer burial sites, the cemetery has suffered a great deal of neglect over the years. The Friends of Live Oak African American Cemetery hopes to draw attention to this historic cemetery and garner interest in forming an interest group to help care for and protect the cemetery.

REGISTRATION CLOSEDJoin Walterboro, SC History Notes on Saturday, October 25 at 2 PM and 4 PM for a historical walking t...
10/24/2025

REGISTRATION CLOSED

Join Walterboro, SC History Notes on Saturday, October 25 at 2 PM and 4 PM for a historical walking tour of Live Oak and Live Oak African American Cemeteries in Walterboro, SC. $10 per adult, $5 Ages 8-18.

REGISTER for the 2:00 PM tour: REGISTRATION CLOSED
REGISTER for the 4:00 PM tour: REGISTRATION CLOSED

Untimely deaths, tragic endings, murders, suicides and more are the topic of this tour of historic Live Oak & Live Oak African American Cemeteries in Walterboro, SC. In addition, we'll explore the history of the town's two oldest and most historic cemeteries, as well as common symbols & hidden messages on tombstones.

Tours are led by Walterboro Historian Elizabeth Laney and will last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

🗓️ Saturday, October 25, 2025 2 PM & 4 PM
đź’˛ $10/Adult, $5 Ages 8-18, Free for 7 & under
đź“ŤLive Oak & Live Oak African American Cemeteries, Walterboro, SC

Registration Required.

Live Oak African American Cemetery, circa mid-1930sThe outer edges of Live Oak African American Cemetery are just visibl...
10/20/2025

Live Oak African American Cemetery, circa mid-1930s

The outer edges of Live Oak African American Cemetery are just visible on the right side of this postcard image from the mid-1930s. Established in 1890, the cemetery has many important stories to tell about Walterboro's African American families.

Walterboro SC - History Notes is offering tours of Live Oak African American Cemetery and Live Oak Cemetery this next Saturday, October 25th at 2 PM & 4 PM. Visit their page to find the event listings and learn how to register for the tours.

🪦 Live Oak & Live Oak African American Cemeteries, circa 1940

This circa 1940 postcard of "Century Old Live Oaks" actually shows the entrance to Live Oak Cemetery on the left and the site of Live Oak African American cemetery on the right.

The picture used for the postcard was probably taken in the mid-1930s right about the time that the Mayfield Terrace subdivision was being developed. However, when this picture was taken the lots nearest the cemetery had not been sold and the cemeteries and their environs were still outside the Walterboro city limits.

Join Walterboro, SC History Notes on Saturday, October 25 at 2 PM and 4 PM for a historical walking tour of Live Oak and Live Oak African American Cemeteries in Walterboro, SC. $10 per adult, $5 Ages 8-18.

REGISTER for the 2:00 PM tour: REGISTRATION CLOSED
REGISTER for the 4:00 PM tour: REGISTRATION CLOSED

Certain sections of the cemetery have sustained significant damage from recent storms.
11/19/2024

Certain sections of the cemetery have sustained significant damage from recent storms.

Happy Veterans Day to all who served and a thank you to all those veterans we’ve lost!
11/11/2024

Happy Veterans Day to all who served and a thank you to all those veterans we’ve lost!

Flags are ready! We hope you can join us at 3 pm today to place flags on the graves of our veterans at Live Oak African ...
11/11/2024

Flags are ready! We hope you can join us at 3 pm today to place flags on the graves of our veterans at Live Oak African American Cemetery.

10/16/2024

Live Oak African American Cemetery and several individuals buried at the historic cemetery will be featured this upcoming Saturday, October 19th at 2:45 pm during "Grave Tales: A Walking Tour of Live Oak & Live Oak African American Cemeteries." Local historian Elizabeth Laney will lead the tours for the Colleton Museum. Visit the event page below for information on how to reserve a spot on the tour.

Send a message to learn more

Place of Burial, Cremation or Removal: Live OakSometimes our only record of a burial at Live Oak African American Cemete...
05/04/2024

Place of Burial, Cremation or Removal: Live Oak

Sometimes our only record of a burial at Live Oak African American Cemetery is a person's death certificate, such as this 1940 certificate for the death of Wiley O. Frampton, a well known local businessman and civil servant in the town in the 1920s and 1930s.

Although Frampton's gravesite is currently unknown his death certificate gives his place of burial definitely as Live Oak.

South Carolina Death Certificates from 1915 - 1970s are available online through subscription genealogy sites like Ancestry.com, although you can usually access Ancestry for free through your local library.

When Elias Taylor passed on in October of 1917, his obituary in the Press & Standard was brief: “Elias Taylor, colored, ...
03/13/2024

When Elias Taylor passed on in October of 1917, his obituary in the Press & Standard was brief: “Elias Taylor, colored, died at his home near Walterboro, Oct. 30.” (P&S 14 Nov 1917)

His headstone at Live Oak African American Cemetery still stands as testament to his fifty-five years of life. “An honest man’s the noblest work of God.”

The Gerideau plot at Live Oak African American Cemetery. Great to see so many cleared plots at the cemetery but many are...
02/08/2024

The Gerideau plot at Live Oak African American Cemetery. Great to see so many cleared plots at the cemetery but many are completely covered in overgrowth.

A beautiful day to be out and about exploring Live Oak African American Cemetery and paying homage to so many of the peo...
02/06/2024

A beautiful day to be out and about exploring Live Oak African American Cemetery and paying homage to so many of the people who helped make Walterboro what it is today.

Thanks to some recent clearing efforts, we’ve finally discovered the THIRD of four known US Colored Troop burials at Liv...
02/06/2024

Thanks to some recent clearing efforts, we’ve finally discovered the THIRD of four known US Colored Troop burials at Live Oak African American Cemetery!!!

Samuel Frazier served in Company I of the 21st USCT during the Civil War. He was one of about a dozen black Union veterans living in Walterboro in the late 19th century.

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Detreville Street
Walterboro, SC
29488

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