South Carolina from A to Z

“M” is for McKaine, Osceola Enoch (1892-1955). Civil rights activist. In 1944, McKaine was the Progressive Democratic Party’s candidate for U.S. Senate—the first time since Reconstruction that a Black Carolinians had run for statewide office.

“M” is for McGuire, Frank Joseph (1913-1994). Basketball coach. In 1977 the Frank McGuire Arena in the Carolina Coliseum was named in his honor.

“W” is for Wilkinson, Eliza Yonge (b. 1757). Chronicler, letter writer. Wilkinson is remembered principally for her letters, twelve of which were edited from her original letterbook and published after her death.

"S” is for Sayre, Christopher Gadsden (1876-ca.1935). Architect. Sayre made a career out of designing public buildings throughout the Carolinas during the first three decades of the twentieth century.

“R” is for Rivers, Prince (ca. 1824-1887). Soldier, statesman. During the occupation of Beaufort by United States forces, Rivers joined the First South Carolina Volunteers, one of the first African American Union regiments.

“P” is for Pickens, Andrew, Jr., (1779-1838). Governor. At the urging of Governor Andrew Pickens, Jr., the legislature in 1818 appropriated the unprecedented sum of $1 million to implement a statewide program of roads and canals.

“M” is for McGowan, Clelia Peronneau (1865-1956). Civic leader. Born in Columbia, McGowan studied in Sweden with a pioneer in the woman’s movement in that country.

“L” is for Lister, Hovie Franklin (1926-2001). Musician. For more than half a century Hovie Lister was leader and pianist for the Statesman Quartet, one of the best-known and most significant exponents of southern gospel music.

“H” is for Heyward, Duncan Clinch (1864-1943). Governor. Espousing a progressive agenda, Clinch touted reforms to advance the “general welfare” of the state.

“G” is for Grace, John Patrick (1874-1940). Politician. John Grace was elected mayor of Charleston in 1911

“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.