florence stockade

A solemn moment in the history of the war between the states that deserves better care. The state and the US government need to fund an extensive preservation of this site. The death of so many union soldiers and the ages of confederate soldiers guarding the stockade showing the desperation of the southern cause.

Wish there was more reconstruction at the site. The pictures and text at the gazebo are very interesting. There were no brochures at the site, but I was able to get one at the Florence Visitor's Bureau near my Residence Inn. The brochure has text to correspond with the numbered stakes at the actual site. I would strongly suggest stopping at the visitor information office before a site visit.

The Florence Stockade was operated by the Confederates to house Union soldiers for a short period of time during the US Civil War. It was a small open-air facility that was hastily constructed after other towns rejected Union prisoners to be housed there over concerns of advancing Union forces under General Sherman. Today there is a gazebo with information about the stockade and walking paths around the area where it used to be located. There are no structures remaining and the vegetation and trees have taken over.Finding the stockade grounds is not that difficult. I typed the address into my GPS which led me right to it. It is also located on the same road as the National Cemetery and there are signs pointing you towards the site. The road dead-ends at a Y intersection with the hardball taking you to a water treatment site (more about that later). You will take the gravel road to the right towards the gazebo. There is ample parking for the number of visitors you will likely encounter. The site is free and you can spend as much time here as you like.I would recommend reading the signs at the gazebo in order to get an understanding of the stockade’s history as there are no other interpretive signs along the hiking trails. There was a box for brochures but it looked like it hadn’t been filled in a long time. Make sure to take a picture of the map on one of the panels as the trails are not marked very well and are haphazard when present. There are small wooden posts with numbers on them that dot the trail. I’m not sure what the numbers meant as there were no explanations anywhere.The first part of the trail takes you on a small loop starting across the street from the gazebo. They were busy building what looked like was to be a mock-up of the stockade, although on a much smaller scale than the original. I don’t know what the intent of the reconstructions is but it will be a welcome addition to the site. When you get to the end of the loop where you find yourself at the road you drove on, at stop #8, do not cross it into the woods if your intent is to follow the numbered signs. The wooded area has several trails but are not associated with the stockade trail, at least not right now. In order to get to the remaining spots of the trail head towards the water treatment plant. You will follow the plant’s fence line to the next stop. It felt like I was trespassing as I was looking for the trail as there were no directions. The stop #9 sign looked like it had disappeared so was winging it while trying to locate the trail.While all you see currently are a lot of trees and open ground I would still recommend visiting the Florence Stockade. As long as you read the information in the gazebo you can still imagine what it would have been like back in 1864 when the stockade was in operation, especially if you visit during the winter time period. If you are interested in the US Civil War you will likely get a lot more out of your visit than those that are not. If what they are building is a reconstruction of the stockade it will definitely improve the experience. I would plan on at least an hour if you plan on walking the trails.

A must for the War between the States history buff. The Florence Stockade was in use during the war for a short period of time. Start at the kiosk and take one of the brochures provided. This will have a map of the many numbered points of interest along the trail. You will be on grounds that the prisoners and guards walked 150+ years ago. Don't pass up this history experience while in Florence, SC.

The stockade as it is called is a smaller version of Andersonville prison in Ga. It is grown up by trees in places but is being worked on to make more understanding. There is a kiosk with parking. It has information on the stockade. There is a wooden walk way over by the treatment plant which takes you to a larger field that was part of camp. A granite marker on road to right give information on stockade. Part of the stockade is now final resting places for those in New National VA Cemetery. I spend lots of time at this site when I travel to Florence also across road at the first national cemetery.

If you are here to have a scenic walk and there is nothing else to do, it could be pleasant. The attraction is still under development and the signs are hard to find. If you are interested in the history, all you need to do is read the signs around the gazebo. The story is quite fascinating. The points of interest are numbered, and there is a free brochure that explains each point that can be found at the gazebo, but it is pretty much a duplication of the gazebo signage.

The Florence Stockade was only in operation for several months while the Confederacy attempted to keep POWs from being freed from Andersonville. It was constructed of an earthen berm and pine timbers, so very little remains. It is an important Civil War site, and Florence is working to improve the site, so it should improve as an attraction in the future. In summer of 2013, the site consists of a gazebo with historical information and a map of the stockade. The site can be walked easily, and there are trails around the site that make for a nice nature walk. The site can be seen within a couple of hours.

My wife and I needed an attraction in Florence for a couple of hours with our 2 grandsons. This met the need. There are not a lot of attraction in Florence. A stockade was constructed in the fall of 1864 to intern Union prisoners who were being evacuated from Andersonville Prison in SW Georgia. The stockade outer wall was constructed of vertical logs and a soil berm. The berm was constructed from excavating a trench just outside the wall. This deterred prisoners from digging their way under the wall and escaping. The historical attraction has a gazebo which has historical panels explaining the stockade's history. The stockade was used from October 2, 1864 until February 1865. A map is provided at the gazebo which shows the location of the stockade and features of the stockade and a walking trail with the features identified. The trail is a little rough and was muddy near the creek. The main feature which can be seen is the remains of part of the berm. However, this is a nice walking trail. As funds are available, the Florence Stockade and Memorial Park could be developed into a very nice tourist attraction. Many artifacts have been found at the site and are on display at the War Between the States Museum on S. Guerry St in Florence.