PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. — Comedian Bill Engvall made the phrase “Here’s Your Sign” famous as a punchline. But in Pickens County, a newly installed sign along Scenic Highway 11 carries a far more meaningful message.
The new Wayfinder sign directs travelers to the Historic Liberia Community, a remarkable African American settlement founded by formerly enslaved people more than 160 years ago that still stands today as a testament to faith, perseverance, self-reliance, and community.
Located in northern Pickens County, the Liberia Community includes the historic Soapstone Baptist Church, a one-room schoolhouse, a historic cemetery, and the Cherokee soapstone mining area that helped shape the region’s early history.
The church remains active today, connecting generations past and present while preserving one of the Upstate’s most important cultural landscapes.
“This sign is more than a tourism marker,” said Mable Owens Clarke, the great granddaughter of the community’s founders. “It is an invitation to learn, reflect, and experience a place where history, faith, and resilience come together. We are so thankful for the support of Pickens County in helping draw attention to this special place.”
The site offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore both African American and Native American history in one location. Long before European settlement, Cherokee people used the area’s soft soapstone to carve cooking vessels, pipes, and ceremonial items. Generations later, freed slaves established a thriving faith-centered community there despite enormous challenges during the Reconstruction era and beyond.
County leaders and preservation advocates say the new signage along Scenic Highway 11 will help introduce more residents and tourists to the area’s rich historical significance while strengthening heritage tourism in the Upstate.