Grand Army of the Republic Hall

Grand Army of the Republic Hall in Beaufort

NPS Photo/N. Betcher

Quick Facts

Location:

706 Newcastle St, Beaufort, SC 29902

Significance:

The Grand Army of the Republic Hall was the meeting place of David Hunter G.A.R. Post No. 9, which was comprised of Black Civil War veterans from the South Carolina Sea Islands, including Robert Smalls.

Designation:

The Grand Army of the Republic Hall is a part of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

MANAGED BY:

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Beaufort

The Grand Army of the Republic Hall built in 1896 as a fraternal meeting hall for the many African American veterans of the Civil War who resided in Beaufort. Originally known as the David Hunter Post #9, membership of the Post was predominantly veterans of the United States Colored Troops units, but also included other African American veterans who served during the Civil War, such as Robert Smalls. The Woman’s Relief Corps, an auxiliary charitable organization for the Grand Army of the Republic, also had a post (Fred S. Washington) at this building. The Hall also serves as a prominent location for Zora Neale Hurston’s 1940 documentary “The Commandment Keeper Church."

The Grand Army Hall in Beaufort is a part of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.