South Carolina from A to Z

“F” is for Freemasonry. Freemasonry in South Carolina dates to 1735 when the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England issued a warrant establishing the office of Provincial Grand Master in the colony of South Carolina.

“E” is for Evans, Emily Plume (d. 1942). Evans was a founding member of the South Carolina Equal Suffrage League, who was also active in efforts to improve working conditions for women and children in the state’s textile mills.

“D” is for Dock Street Theatre. Under the management of the city of Charleston, Dock Street Theatre has expanded its audience to become a fixture in the cultural affairs of the lowcountry.

“C” is for Chamberlain, Daniel Henry (1835-1907). Governor. In 1874 Chamberlain became the Republican candidate for governor and won the general election that fall.

“B” is for the Best Friend of Charleston. Commissioned by the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, the Best Friend of Charleston was the first locomotive built in the United States for public service.

“A” is for Ayers, Sara Lee Harris Sanders (1919-2002). Native American potter. Ayers was born on the Catawba Indian Reservation near Rock Hill. She probably learned to make pottery from her grandmother, a full-blooded Catawba.

“W” is for Wilkes Fund Controversy. The Wilkes Fund Controversy generated a constitutional crisis that first polarized and then broke the back of royal government in colonial South Carolina.

“S” is for Sayers, Valerie (b. 1952). Author. In 1992, Valerie Sayers was the National Endowment for the Arts literature fellow.

"R” is for Rivers, Lucius Mendel (1905-1970). Congressman. In 1940, Rivers defeated the “Charleston Ring,” was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the First District, and was re-elected fifteen times with only minor opposition.

“P” is for Pickens, Andrew (1739-1817). Soldier, legislator, congressman. During the Revolutionary War Pickens became one of the most significant leaders of patriot forces in the backcountry.

“M” is for McDuffie, George (1790-1851). Congressman, governor, U.S. senator.

“L” is for Lintheads. Cotton mill workers who played a critical role in the modernization of the South Carolina economy made the “linthead” epithet a badge of honor.

“H” is for Heyward, DuBose (1885-1940). Author. In 1925, Heyward published Porgy, a novel about African American life in Charleston. Revolutionary for its time, the book changed literary depictions of Blacks in the United States.

“G” is for Governor’s Mansion (Columbia). Until 1869 South Carolina never furnished its executive officer with a residence.

“F” is for Freeman, Grace Beacham (1916-2002). Poet. In 1985 Grace Beacham Freeman was appointed South Carolina’s poet laureate.

“E” is for Eutaw Springs, Battle of (September 8, 1781). The Battle of Eutaw Springs was the last major engagement in South Carolina between American and British forces during the Revolutionary War.

“D” is for Doby, Lawrence Edward (1923-2003). Baseball player. Doby was the first African American to play baseball in the American League and the second African American to manage a major-league team.

“C” is for Chalmers, Lionel (1715-1777). Physician, scientist. A native of Scotland, Chalmers studied medicine at one of the Scottish universities. He immigrated to Charleston in 1737.

“B” is for Bernardin, Joseph Louis (1928-1996). Catholic cardinal. Born in Columbia to Italian immigrant parents, Bernardin attended St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, and the Catholic University of America.

“A” is for Avery Normal Institute. Founded in 1865, the Avery Normal Institute was the first accredited secondary school for African Americans in Charleston.

“T” is for Tynte, Edward (d.1710). Governor. Tynte was from a Somerset, England, family that had recently risen to a baronetcy.

“S” is for Sayle, William (d.1671). Governor. Sayle served as governor of English colonies in both Bermuda and South Carolina.

“R” is for Rivers, John Minott (1903-1988). Broadcasting executive. In 1974 John Minott Rivers became the second person inducted into the Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

“P” is for Pickens (Pickens County; 2020 population 3,377).

“M” is for McCray, John Henry (1910-1987). Journalist, civil rights activist.