As she watched the inauguration today, Carol Bland, 51, recalled sitting in the back of buses and drinking from "colored" water fountains.

She gathered at her daughter's home in Hephzibah with three generations of her family, at one point crying as she watched the ceremonies.

Her grandson, 5-year-old Charles "Tre" Hunt III, has been wearing an Obama T-shirt he got for Christmas -- even sleeping in it.

Family members shared their hopes as they watched. Janet Gault-Hunt -- Ms. Bland's daughter and Tre's mother -- likened listening to President Obama to hearing Martin Luther King Jr.

"His voice just sends chills," said Mrs. Gault-Hunt, 31.

Her husband, Charles Hunt, said President Obama's election gave new hopes and dreams to black Americans.

"That gives your children something they can reach for, other than sports," he said.

Ms. Bland remembered watching Dr. King give his "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

She brought out champagne after President Obama was sworn in.

"Life had purpose before, but has even more purpose now," Ms. Bland said.

--- Greg Gelpi, staff writer

The solemn face and gleaming eyes of President Obama seemed to give clues to what he had done before being sworn in as president this afternoon, said barber Michael Allen

"It looks like he's been crying," Mr. Allen said. "He knows he's got a tough job ahead of him."

The barber watched the inauguration with a customer and two other barbers at Zion's Barbershop and Shoe Shine Parlor.

The four men rarely took their eyes off the 42-inch flat screen.

Owner Travis Suber clapped after Mr. Obama had been sworn in. He said he still remains in a state of disbelief.

"It's a surprise," Mr. Suber said. "It's still a surprise."

--- Stephanie Toone, staff writer

A technological snag kept Tracy Maroney's eighth-graders at North Augusta Middle School from seeing President Obama sworn in today.

The South Carolina history class was supposed to watch on a SMARTboard, a device that projects a computer screen onto an interactive white board, but a logjam on the Web sites that offered a live feed delayed the streaming video for 10 minutes.

"It's time for us to put away childish things," a quote from Scripture, was the first they heard in the speech.

Mrs. Maroney used today's event as an introduction to civil rights topics. Pupils drew abstracts about dreams for themselves, their family, their country and the world.

--- Julia Sellers, staff writer

The Rev. Bobby Hankerson celebrated the inauguration with his congregation at Hammond Grove Baptist Church.

The North Augusta church projected newscasts onto a big screen in the sanctuary. Two dozen people gathered and prayed for the new president.

"This is a new thing because it's a new beginning," the Rev. Hankerson said. "The church is all about new births, new beginnings."

Brenda Adams sees God's hand in the day's events.

"It's no coincidence this is happening 40 years exactly after Martin Luther King's dream. You read your Bible and see, God does things in 40-year intervals," said the Evans woman and visitor to the church.

Church secretary Natassia Peart and her husband, Kareem, brought their family.

"We realize this probably won't ever happen again," he said. "It's one of those moments you don't get back, like child birth."

The couple has been praying for the president-elect, and teaching their daughters about Barack Obama.

Her youngest, Reinnacq, 3, "will see a picture of Obama and say, "Mommy, he looks like me," Mrs. Peartcq said. "It gives me hope, and God knows, we need hope."

--- Kelly Jasper, staff writer

A hospital waiting room wasn't her first choice to watch a historic event, but Janet Reaves-Jackson smiled as she sat in the Outpatient Center at University Hospital waiting for her father to return from tests. Though she had other plans, "this takes precedence over everything," she said.

"Actually, I'm where I want to be," she said.

Mrs. Reaves-Jackson held the hand of her 15-month-old daughter, Kendall, while texts from friends and relatives in Washington, D.C., came in on her phone, telling her that they bumped into people they hadn't seen in 30 years: "It's like a family atmosphere."

Down the hall in another room, Virginia and Norman Smith sat beneath a blaring television, their faces lined with worry as they await another test on their son, Murray. The 19-year-old pitcher and third baseman for the University of South Carolina-Salkehatchie has been suffering from unexplained fatigue and was referred to a specialist, but Mrs. Smith brightens when she talks about what is happening.

"I'm looking forward to us doing a big turnaround," she said. "I hope this is what it takes."

Back down the hall, nurse assistant Jean Frank talked about how she is praying for Mr. Obama while her patient, Janet Fountain, sat next to her. Mrs. Fountain, 84, turned and looked up at her new president on the television.

"I wish you well, young man," she said quietly.

--- Tom Corwin, staff writer

For as long as he can remember, Capt. Timothy Chavis, 29, has been watching inauguration ceremonies, and today was no different.

"It's historical," Capt. Chavis said.

He and other soldiers arrived early for lunch at Fort Gordon's Gordon Club to get a seat near the big-screen television, where they watched their new commander-in-chief being sworn in.

Capt. Claudia Daniel, Capt. Brittiane Staton, Capt. Jermaine Clare, Capt. Brian Beam, 1st Lt. Patrick Penn and Capt. Jonathan MacDonald also arrived in time to get a front table. They said they made the trip to the Gordon Club for lunch just to see the inauguration. Most of the proceedings were quiet; however, after the president was sworn in, there was a loud cheer and applause.

--- Charmain Brackett, correspondent

Greenbrier High School students chewed quickly or skipped lunch altogether to give themselves more time to witness today's inauguration.

School officials set up a screen in the auditorium, which is across the hall from the lunchroom, to give students the opportunity to watch at least a portion of the event.

Kadarius Bussey, 17, was more than willing to miss lunch to watch what he characterized as a history-making event.

"As a young black man, it's like the day Martin Luther King gave his 'I have a dream' speech," the Greenbrier junior said.

Just as Dr. King was a role model to millions of blacks in the 1960s, Barack Obama is equally important to millions more today, he said.

Krista Haffa, 16, supported John McCain during the election, but said she can still appreciate the historical significance of the moment.

"It was just a great historical event that I didn't want to miss," she said while watching the inauguration during her lunch hour.

--- Donnie Fetter, Columbia County bureau chief

More than 20 supporters and members of Dream Builders of America's Youth Inc. gathered at Bill and Tanya Jeffords' home in North Augusta to watch the inauguration and celebrate with a champagne brunch..

Rotha Robinson, Mrs. Jeffords' 104-year-old grandmother, quietly watched the festivities around her. At times, she held hands with Mrs. Jeffords and her daughter Arnetta Flowers.

The group chuckled when Mr. Obama stumbled over his oath, and they cheered when he finished.

Mrs. Jeffords had never celebrated an inauguration before but wanted the children of Dream Builders, which works with youths to help them become successful adults, to remember where they were when this inauguration took place.

"You always remember where you were when bad things happen, but you never remember where you were when good things happen."

--- Lisa Kaylor, staff writer