Chester's Aaron Burr Rock

The Aaron Burr Rock, located in Chester, South Carolina on Main Street (US Highway 72 & SC Highway 9) right across from the Confederate Soldiers Monument is a somewhat unique monument to a former American Revolutionary War hero and Vice President of the United States of America dedicated in 1938 by the Mary Adair Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). 

Usually, the monuments erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution commemorate the deeds of Revolutionary War heroes, and although Aaron Burr was a genuine hero of the American Revolution, the inscription on the Chester's Aaron Burr Rock reminds us of one of the most interesting trials in American history. 

In March 1807, Aaron Burr, former vice president of the United States under Thomas Jefferson was brought to the town of Chester, South Carolina, under arrest by members of the U.S. Army charged with high treason.

Many folks best remember Burr not as the youngest colonel in George Washington's Continental Army, but rather for the fatal duel he had with political rival Alexander Hamilton on Wednesday, July 11, 1804 at Weehawken, New Jersey. 

What many may not remember is that after fatally wounding Hamilton and effectively destroying his chance to be Jefferson's successor to the US Presidency, he left Washington City (now Washington, D.C.) when his term expired, and three years later he was arrested twice for treason -- he allegedly attempted to purchase land from Spain and then create a new government. 

Today Historians still debate whether Burr, who was originally arrested on a misdemeanor charge, not treason, intended to create an empire for himself, or whether he was mounting a filibustering expedition against Spain.

In February 1807, Burr was arrested in Mississippi Territory and charged with treason. The Army guards wished to avoid the populous coastal areas and especially the S.C. coast, where Burr was popular, so they marched him through the backwoods destined for Richmond, Va., to be tried by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall.

On horseback, the group reached the village of Chesterville (now Chester). According to records, there were two soldiers in front of Burr, two behind him and one on each side. 

As they approached, Burr flung himself from his horse, mounted the rock and shouted to the bystanders: "I'm Aaron Burr, under military arrest, and claim the protection of the civil authorities." His pleas were ignored by the local population.

The soldiers grabbed Burr and forced him back on his horse and the group rode on. About dark, the party got to John Lewis' Tavern (the spot on S.C. 74 between Chester and Rock Hill now called Lewis Turnout). Burr later attempted to escape after allegedly bribing a housemaid to leave the door unlocked, but was recaptured before he got more than a few feet. The officer in charge of Burr later said that at Lewis' tavern, he found his famous prisoner, and the soldier leading his horse, in a flood of tears. Presumably, Burr's usual great self-assurance had vanished with the cold-shoulder treatment by the people of Chesterville. That night, Burr reportedly slept on a bench at the tavern. The bench he slept on can be seen today at the Chester History Historical Museum. 

The former Lewis Tavern located just off SC 72 is a private
residence today and is listed on the National Register.

The next day, the party moved on to Richmond for the trial. He was tried on the charge of conspiring to make himself emperor of a large part of the Louisiana Purchase land and Texas. A jury would later find Burr not guilty. 

In 1938, the Mary Adair Chapter, DAR, placed an inscription on a rough-hewn rock to commemorate one of the most unusual events in the history of the city of Chester, South Carolina. The inscription (with an incorrect date) on the rock that sits on the highest hill in downtown Chester reads:
 
"In 1806, Aaron Burr, when passing through Chester, a prisoner, dismounted on this rock and appealed in vain to the citizens for help."

Inscription engraved on the Aaron Burr Rock by the Mary Adair
Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution in 1938.
The date of the event in question is wrong. Aaron Burr passed
through Chester in March 1807, one year later.