After months of delay, a second installation of public art is being unveiled next to the Yemassee Amtrak Station.
“The Folded Flag,” the second mural in Yemassee created by Estill-based artist Sophie Docalavich, will be dedicated at 6 p.m. on Thursday July 9. The 48-foot-long artwork is installed along a fence which marks the boundary of the former barracks for the former Yemassee Marine Recruit Depot.
The train depot, which straddles the boundary line between Beaufort and Hampton counties, is now a stop on Amtrak’s Palmetto and Silver Meteor lines. From 1915 to 1965, more than 500,000 recruits got off the train in Yemassee and stayed at the barracks at the Yemassee Marine Recruit Depot on their way to Parris Island for basic training. Some of those recruits never returned from the battlefields of World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The Amtrak station currently houses a small museum, but its indoor location means that many visitors don’t know that it’s there.
A cooperative effort between the Town of Yemassee, the Hampton County Arts Council, and a group of motivated citizens and businesses has worked hard to change that. Yemassee, with its rich military history, was the first site in the county selected to receive a facelift through the addition of public art. The first installation, “Where Heroes Stood” was completed by Docalavich in October 2019. Photos of that piece and her other murals can be viewed at her website www.SophieDocalavich.com .
The new installation was commissioned by Christina Reardon of Veteran Owned Real Estate and also received in kind support from Brunson Building Supply and the Town of Yemassee.
The dedication will take place outdoors and several veterans groups have been invited to attend. In addition to the artist, speakers will include Mayor Colin Moore of Yemassee, Hampton County Councilman Clay Bishop and Master Sergeant J.L. Goodwin. Rev. Charlie Grant will give the invocation and there will be a performance by vocalist Nykki Smalls. In light of the current pandemic, all spectators are expected to maintain social distancing at this outdoor event and masks are encouraged.
