South Carolina from A to Z

“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.

“L” is for Lining, John (1708-1760). Physician, scientist. A native of Scotland, Lining studied medicine in Scotland and probably at Leyden University in the Netherlands. He immigrated to Charleston in 1728

“H” is for Heyward, James (1764-1796) and Nathaniel Heyward (1766-1851). Rice planters.

“G” is for Gist, William Henry (1807-1874). Governor. An ardent secessionist, Gist was elected governor in 1858. As sectional tensions reached their climax in 1860, he did his best to hasten the final push to secession.

“F’ is for Fort Watson. Fort Watson, named for Colonel John Watson, was one of a series of supply depots between Charleston and Camden during the Revolutionary War.

“E” is for Elmore v. Rice (1947). In 1946 George Elmore, an African American who was eligible to vote in general elections, was denied the right to vote in the Democratic Party in Richland County.

“J” is for Jehu Jones (ca. 1769-1833). Free Black entrepreneur. Born into slavery, Jones was emancipated in 1798 and established himself as a successful tailor. He invested in real estate and purchased enslaved persons to assist with his business enterprises.

“H” is for Hawks, Esther Hill (1833-1906). Teacher, physician. A native of New Hampshire, Hawks was committed to women’s rights and abolition.

"G” is for Goose Creek Men. The Goose Creek Men were primarily English Barbadians who immigrated to South Carolina in the seventeenth century seeking land and economic advancement.

“F” is for Freed, Arthur (1894-1973). Film producer, songwriter. Freed became best known for his musicals with MGM as he helped to fashion and energize the studio’s popular musicals, including: Meet Me in St. Louis, Annie Get Your Gun, Singin’ in the Rain, An American in Paris, and GiGi.

“E” is for Esquerita (ca. 1935-1986). Musician. Born Eskew Reeder, Jr., in Greenville, Esquerita was among the wildest musical acts to grace the formative years of rock and roll.

“D” is for Dixon, Dorsey (1897-1968) and Howard Dixon (1903-1961). Musicians. The Dixon Brothers, popular in the mid-to-late 1930s, composed many original songs on diverse subjects, including the life and labors of textile mill workers.

“C” is for Cayce (Lexington County; 2020 population 13,768).

“B” is for Berkeley County (1,098 square miles; 2020 population 235,987).

“A” is for Audubon, John James (1785-1851). Artist, naturalist, ornithologist.

“W” is for Wigg, James (born ca. 1850). Legislator. Wigg was born an enslaved person in Beaufort County.