Blackstock is an unincorporated community in Chester and Fairfield counties in the Midlands of South Carolina about 45 miles (72 km) north of Columbia.

[6] The monument consists of a small stone building with a placard that reads: "In memory of Burrel Hemphill, killed by Union soldiers February 1865.

[13] An investigation of the murder led to the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of Thomas and Meeks Griffin - two African-American residents of the town.

[13] Doubts about the conviction inspired more than 150 residents of the town, including the mayor and a former sheriff of Chester County, to petition for governor of South Carolina to commute the sentences.

[13] Research demonstrating the inequity of the matter was presented to the parole board in 2009 and led the state to issue its first posthumous pardon in a capital murder case.