Mark Buyck III named chairman of Trail Commission

Date: Sunday, November 30, 2008

By Dwight Dana Morning News reporter Published: November 27, 2008

Florence attorney Mark Buyck III has been named chairman of the Francis Marion Trail Commission.

Buyck, 47, takes the reins from Ben Zeigler, the first commission chairman and the driving force behind its establishment. Zeigler, also a Florence attorney, has served since the trail commission was formed in 2003. “The ground work has been set,” Buyck said during an interview at his office. “We’ve got a master plan that will be presented to the public Dec. 10. I’m excited that we will be able to show this to the public so that we can get input from them. “We have to visit local governments, go out into the communities and get the stakeholders involved to make this a reality. We’ve got a lot of good people working with us and now is the time for us to synthesize all this excitement to get the trail on the road.”

Buyck lauded the foundation laid by Zeigler. “Ben had the idea for the trail and got us to where we are now,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of momentum going and plan to carry forward on that. We’ve got a good board, but the board can only do so much. We are dependent on the local communities to make this a reality.” “I can’t think of anyone better to lead the trail project forward from this point than Mark,” Zeigler said. “With our Master Plan in place, the challenge the trail commission will face will be more logistical than conceptual, and Mark has a skill set that makes him ideal for this task.

“As shown by his work leading the development of the Florence Stockade over this past decade, Mark has significant experience in just this sort of project implementation. And at a time when the commission will need to work to restore state funding that we lost in this year’s state budget crisis, his political prominence and connections will be invaluable. He is also a very patient and deliberate person who I think will keep the project moving forward at an appropriate pace.”

Zeigler said his decision to step down in the interest of the long-term viability and success of the trail “was with the idea that someone like Mark would assume the helm and guide the project using a different set of skills and strengths than I possess.” Meanwhile, a final draft is due Dec. 10 for the Francis Marion Trail Master Plan and the public is invited for the event in the Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Library at 6:15 p.m.

The Jaeger Co. was selected last year to undertake the Master Plan. The plan is based on archeological resource and existing and potential infrastructure, recommended trail sites and routes, as well as standards for facilities and interpretation. The purpose of the Francis Marion Trail project is to identify, locate, interpret and develop sites relating to Gen. Francis Marion. This includes his campaigns in the Pee Dee, Midlands and Lowcountry. These sites will be used as a basis for the development of a heritage tourism trail in those areas.

The project was launched by a private group in 2003, and the concept was developed in 2004. A commission was created by the S.C. General Assembly in June 2005. Archeology work began in February 2006.

Fifteen Marion sites have been identified. They are:

• Witherspoon’s Ferry, Aug. 17, 1780
• Sumter’s Plantation (Great Savannah), Aug. 25, 1780
• Blue Savannah, Sept. 4, 1780
• Port’s Ferry (redoubt), Sept. 5, 1780 to the end of January 1781
• Black Mingo, Sept. 28, 1780
• Georgetown, Oct. 9, 1780, Nov. 20, 1780, Jan. 25, 1781 and May 28, 1781
• Snow’s Island/Tanyard, Dec. 28, 1780-Jan 24, 1781
• Watson Chase, including Cantey’s plantation/Lower Bridge/Witherspoon’s plantation, March 5-28, 1781
• Quinby Bridge/Shubrick plantation, July 17, 1781
• Parkers Ferry, Aug. 30, 1781
• Fairlawn Barony/Colleton Plantation/Fort Fairlawn, Nov. 17, 1781
• Jacksonborough Assembly, Jan. 8-Feb. 24, 1782
• Tidyman’s Plantation/ Wambaw Bridge, Feb. 25, 1782
• Burch’s Mill, June 8, 1782
• Wadboo Barony/Avenue of the Cedars/Colleton Castle, October-December, 1782.

Buyck is a 1988 graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law. He received an undergraduate degree in politics from Washington & Lee in Lexington, Va. He has long had an interest in history, especially the Revolutionary War era in South Carolina. The first term paper he ever wrote was on the Revolutionary War in the state. And he even had a map in his bedroom that pinpointed the war’s sites in South Carolina.