New highway name honors the memory of Chester’s first Black mayor. Dedication is Sunday
Twenty-four years after his death, the state of South Carolina will honor Chester icon Christopher “Chris” King Sr.
He was the first Black mayor of the city of Chester, and a life-long public servant. In his memory, a portion of S.C. Highway 9, which locals called Lancaster Street, will now be called “Christopher King Sr. Memorial Highway.”
An official dedication will be held at the intersection of Hudson Street and Cemetery Street at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Legislators such as S.C. State Reps. Annie McDaniel, Randy Ligon, and S.C. State Sen. Mike Fanning pushed the legislation through.
King’s dedication to Chester stretched far beyond his term as mayor. He played a key role in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to establish single member districts for Chester County.
And he operated King’s Funeral Home for more than 40 years -- a business he called “his ministry,” where he assisted people in their most vulnerable moments.
His name in public service didn’t end at death.
King’s son, John R. Christopher King Jr., currently represents S.C. House District 49. He also served on the Chester County Council, and later founded Christopher King’s Funeral Home to honor his father.
Robbie King-Boyd, the daughter of King Sr., serves on the first all-Black city council in the history of the city of Chester.
And another one of his King Sr.’s sons, William King, served on city council in 2017.
King-Boyd said she remembers as a child traveling around the state of South Carolina with her family. King Sr. would take his children with him as he helped citizens get registered to vote. She remembers traveling to see U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.
“It was nothing to come home and see (former U.S. Secretary of Education) Dick Riley sitting at our table. Even Strom Thurmond,” she said.
While her father let all of his children pick their own path, King-Boyd said she found her way to public service when a seat on the city council opened in October 2020.
“I had been quiet long enough,” she said. “I just thought it was time for me to step up and do my part. I just feel like I’m just continuing to carry the torch.”
King Jr. said he remembers his father as a life-long public servant, both in office and in his work at the funeral home. “He was just not an icon in Chester, but he was an icon in this region and in the state.”
King Sr. also is remembered by the community as an advocate for equal rights. His son recalled a particular case.
“My brother was working some kind of construction work,” King Jr. said. “And a gentleman came up to my brother and said, ‘your father fought for me when I was a bus driver.’”
The man said, at that time, white bus drivers were paid more than Black bus drivers, and King Sr. joined the fight for equal pay.
“It’s just stories like that, that we hear all the time. That my father didn’t always tell us,” King Jr. said.
It’s believed that on Sunday, King Sr.’s wife, Margie, all seven of his children, some cousins, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be present. King Jr. said his father was a humble man.
“I don’t know what he would be saying, but I know what we’re saying,” King Jr. said. “We’re all excited. People can ride down Lancaster Street and see his name, and remember him for what he has done for Chester.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 4:50 PM.
