On Sept. 9, 1739, 20 Black enslaved men met in secret near the Stono River. The group went into Hutcheson’s store at Stono’s bridge, killed the two storekeepers and stole the guns and powder inside.
The men marched down a main road in St. Paul’s Parish, located nearly 20 miles from Charlestown (today Charleston). They had signs that read “Liberty.” They were beating drums and singing on the way to Florida.
