Revolutionary War officer Francis Marion died nearly 230 years ago, but his legacy will be alive and well on Saturday, March 2 in Georgetown.
“We’ll be celebrating Francis Marion Living History Day from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with reenactors and artisans at Rainey and Francis Marion Parks,” said Corinne Hoch, co-chair of the Georgetown 250 Committee. The group was appointed to help educate and celebrate South Carolina’s role in the American Revolution, as the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence nears.
The Committee is a sponsor of the event, along with the Georgetown County Library, the Georgetown County Museum and the Winyah Auditorium. All Living History Day events will be free.
The Museum will be open from 5-6 p.m. on Living History Day to reveal special plans for the new Francis Marion Interpretive Center, which will be one of only four in South Carolina.
To cap off the day, a special presentation, “Francis Marion, History or Hollywood” by Scott Kaufman, professor of history at Francis Marion University, will begin at 7 p.m. at Winyah Auditorium.
Brigadier General Francis Marion (c. 1732-1795), also known as “the Swamp Fox,” grew up in Georgetown and was a well-known Patriot throughout the Carolina Lowcountry. Though he never commanded a field army or served as a commander in a major engagement, Marion's use of irregular warfare against the British has led him to be considered one of the fathers of guerrilla and maneuver warfare.
Living History Day will be the first of many celebrations planned to commemorate the approaching 250th anniversary, said Paige Sawyer, planning committee co-chair.
For more information, contact Hoch at (201) 452-0270 or Sawyer at (843) 546 3745.