Abbeville County · Marker 01-23
Harbison Cemetery
East of S.C. Hwy. 20 and Sunset Dr., Abbeville
Front inscription
This approx. three-acre cemetery dates to at least the 1890s and was created to serve African American residents of the Abbeville area. It eventually became known as “Harbison Cemetery” after historically black Harbison College, located north of here by c.1900 and named for benefactor Samuel Pollock Harbison. The earliest-known burials here include members of the Logan, Richie, and White families. Several of the graves show the influence of African burial customs.
Reverse inscription
Harbison Cemetery is a community burial ground and includes members from several local denominations. The interred include alumni of Harbison College and its predecessor, Ferguson Academy, and at least one Harbison professor. Also among the buried are farmers, laborers, teachers, ministers, tradespeople, homemakers, and business people. Harbison College moved to Irmo, S.C. in 1911. Burials took place here throughout the 20th century and continue today.