Randolph was a militia leader protecting African Americans when he was assassinated.

The cemetery holds eight Reconstruction Era state legislators.

[7] The cemetery fell into decline as the descendants of those interred and the owners of the remaining plots moved away, many as part of the Great Migration.

The city of Columbia began to clear it out with bulldozers as part of its urban renewal program in 1959, but the clearing was halted when Minnie Simons Williams, a local resident, drew the city's attention to the historical significance of the cemetery.

The association has organized donations and volunteers to restore and maintain the cemetery.