Lunch in Edgefield

Another day working far from home and another amazing historical lunch.  Recently, I told you about having lunch in Aiken.  I was able to go back to Aiken a week later and I decided this time to have my lunch on my way home.  This gave me the chance to stop in Edgefield, SC for lunch.  There is a lot of history in Edgefield and an hour lunch isn't sufficient to even begin exploring.  I made it over to the cemetery of  First Baptist where I knew several people of importance to South Carolina are buried.

This cemetery has a different look to it and I quickly explored the large area as I looked for a specific gave.

Edgefield is the home of ten South Carolina Governors and several of them are buried here.  I was searching for a specific Governor.  Way over in the back section of the cemetery I saw a tall white pillar and I knew that it was the one I was looking for.  It had been placed much more recently then the others.

This is the grave of Senator Strom Thurmond.  The oldest Senator to have served in the US Senate and the longest serving member of the US Senate.  He served as a Senator from South Carolina from 1954 until 2003.  

If you are interested in the achievements and history of the Senator, a quick search on the internets will give you all the information you need. It's really incredible.  Just a few notable things that stuck out to me are the fact that he stepped down as a judge to join the army and fight in WW2.  During the war he was a part of the battle of Normandy.  Later, he served as a Governor in South Carolina.  The list of service and accomplishments go on, but I won't detail those here.  Just know that this is a man that spent his life serving his country.  

After finding this grave and spending a few quiet minutes near it, lunch was over and I was back on the road.  Add Edgefield to the list of places I need to spend more time exploring.