Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
National Historical Park · SC
The Reconstruction era,1861-1900 the historic period in which the United States grappled with the question of how to integrate millions of newly freed African Americans into social, political, economic, and labor systems, was a time of significant transformation. The people, places, and events in Beaufort County, South Carolina, reflect on the most important issues of this tumultuous time period.
- NPS site
- nps.gov/reer
- Location
- Reconstruction Era National Historical Park (32.387, -80.651)
Track your visit to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
NP Tracker keeps a record of every National Park Service unit you visit — all 430-plus of them. Log visits with dates and photos, collect passport stamps, plan trips, and watch your map fill in. It's free.
Passport stamp locations
- Darrah Hall
- Pinckney-Porter's Chapel Visitor Contact Station
- Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Visitor Center
Hours
Park Hourstoday: 9:00AM - 5:00PM
- Sat Oct 39:00AM - 5:00PM
- Sun Oct 49:00AM - 5:00PM
- Mon Oct 59:00AM - 5:00PM
- Tue Oct 69:00AM - 5:00PM
- Wed Oct 79:00AM - 5:00PM
- Thu Oct 89:00AM - 5:00PM
- Fri Oct 99:00AM - 5:00PM
The park grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. In addition, the park maintains several visitor centers and contact stations throughout the region.
Hours are retrieved from the National Park Service and can change without notice — check the official site before you go.
Visitor centers
3
- Darrah Halltoday: 9:00AM - 5:00PMDirections
- Pinckney-Porter's Chapel Visitor Contact Stationtoday: 9:00AM - 5:00PMDirections
- Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Visitor Centertoday: 9:00AM - 5:00PMDirections
Self-guided tours
3
Black Businesses of Beaufort30–60 minutes · 12 stops
Learn about some of the Black Businesses that thrived in Downtown Beaufort during the Reconstruction Era.
Landfall: Come By the Combee1–3 hours · 8 stops
On the night of June 1, 1863, Harriet Tubman and the soldiers of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers sailed up the Combahee River. By the time they returned, they had liberated more than 750 people on what became known as the Combahee River Raid. Visit key places of the raid through this self-guided driving tour.
Memories of Mather1–2 hours · 8 stops
Prior to the Civil War within most southern states, education was illegal for enslaved people. Education was seen as a threat to the institution of enslavement, as it would spread the ideas of abolition. However, this did not stop the enslaved from learning. Many would educate themselves in secret. The question remained: what would become of education for those who had been deprived of it for so long? This tour is voiced by alumni of the Mather School and made with University of South Carolina Beaufort.
Entrance fees
No entrance fee.