As she watched the inauguration, 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.

Her grandson, 5-year-old Charles "Tre" Hunt III, has been wearing an Obama T-shirt he got for Christmas frequently -- 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 the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

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

Her husband, Charles Hunt, said Mr. 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 Mr. Obama was sworn in.

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

-- Greg Gelpi, staff writer

As the president-elect emerged onto the Capitol platform, barber Michael Allen remarked on his solemn face and gleaming eyes.

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

Mr. Allen watched the inauguration with a customer and two other barbers at Zion's Barbershop and Shoe Shine Parlor on James Brown Boulevard.

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

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

"It's a surprise," he said. "It's still a surprise."

-- Stephanie Toone, 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, a visitor to the church, saw God's hand in the 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," the Evans woman said.

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 childbirth."

-- 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 text messages from friends and relatives in Washington, D.C., came in on her phone, telling her they had 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 awaited 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. 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

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 celebrate with a champagne brunch.

Rotha Robinson, Mrs. Jeffords' 104-year-old grandmother, quietly watched the festivities.

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

Mrs. Jeffords had never celebrated an inauguration but wanted the children of Dream Builders to remember where they were when this inauguration took place.

-- Lisa Kaylor, staff writer

Greenbrier High School students chewed quickly or skipped lunch to give themselves more time to witness the inauguration.

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

Kadarius Bussey, 17, was more than willing to miss lunch.

"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 important to millions today, he said.

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

"It was just a great historical event that I didn't want to miss," she said.

Capt. Timothy Chavis, 29, 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 came to the Gordon Club just to see the inauguration. Most of the proceedings were quiet, but after the president was sworn in there was a loud cheer.

-- Charmain Brackett, correspondent

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

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" was the first they heard from the speech.

Mrs. Maroney used the event as an introduction to civil rights topics.

-- Julia Sellers, staff writer