Confederate Batteries Open Fire On Fort Sumter At 4:30 A.M.

On April 12, 1861, 150 years ago today, Confederate forces opened fire on Federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. This action followed a series of aggressive actions taken over the prior week by South Carolina’s state government. The decision to bomb the fort and the expected response by President Lincoln led to a long and bloody war which divided many states, communities and even individual families.

In Plymouth County, however, there was strong support for the Union cause. For decades prior to the beginning of the Civil War, there were significant outpourings of anti-slavery interests led by the Abolitionists Movement. Island Grove Park in Abington was the site of many of these meetings.

Even now, 150 years after the first shot was fired on Fort Sumter, there remains evidence of that strong local support and the celebration of the eventual Union victory. Throughout our communities, there are plaques, statues and monuments honoring those soldiers and sailors who served the Union cause, including those who died on a far away battlefield.

Over the course of this anniversary year, we will bring forward through our historical records many examples of Plymouth County’s commitment to honoring those heroes.

One of the entries in our Notable Land Records Collecion is Brockton City Hall. This beautiful municipal building was built, in part, as a tribute to the veterans of the Civil War. I encourage anyone who has not viewed the magnificant paintings of Civil War battle scenes in the main lobby to do so.