South Carolina from A to Z

“D” is for Dixie Hummingbirds. Started in 1928 by twelve-year-old James Davis and neighborhood friends Bonnie Gipson, Jr., Fred Owens, and Barney Parks, the gospel quartet—and later quintet (with the addition of Ira Tucker)—influenced scores of gospel, soul, and rock and roll artists.

“C” is for Cattle ranching. Cow pens, cattle drives, and open range herding were important features of the agricultural landscape of colonial South Carolina.

“B” is for Benton, Brook (1931-1988). Musician. In 1950 Benton recorded “It’s Just a Matter of time,” the first of twenty-three Top Forty hits in the next five years.

“A” is for Atzjar (or achar). A bright ochre mixed pickle, this recipe is one of the world’s oldest, and its path to South Carolina was along the international spice and slave trade routes.

“W” is for Whitten, Benjamin Otis (1886-1970). Physician. When Whitten retired in 1965, Whitten Village (as the facility was called) had a resident population of more than 2,500.

“T” is for Turner, Henry McNeal (1834-1915). Clergyman, politician.

“S” is for Sawyer, Frederick Adolphus (1822-1891). U. S. senator. After leaving the Senate, Frederick Adolphus Sawyer remained in government for many years, serving in the U.S. Treasury Department, the Coast Survey, and the War Department.

"H” is for Hembel, Caroline Etheridge (1918-2001). Pioneer aviator. In 1939 Hembel became the first female pilot in the Southeast to receive her pilot’s license.

“G” is for Gonzales, Narciso Gener (1858-1903). Editor. In 1903 Narciso Gener Gonzales was gunned down in broad daylight on the corner of Main and Gervais Streets in Columbia by the state’s lieutenant governor.

“F” is for Frederick, Nathaniel Jerome (1877-1938). Lawyer, editor.

“E” is for Ensor, Joshua Fulton (1834-1907). In 1870 Ensor was appointed superintendent of the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum.

“D” is for Dispensary. In 1892 South Carolina adopted the dispensary system which gave the state a monopoly on the sale of liquor.

“C” is for Catholics. In 1716 the South Carolina Assembly banned Catholic and Irish immigration for fear they would collaborate with Spanish Catholics in Florida.

"H" is for Horry County (1,134 square miles, 2010 population, 270, 516). Horry is the largest and easternmost of South Carolina’s forty-six counties, forming a wedge between North Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean.

"G" is for Gregg, William (1800-1867). Manufacturer. Industrial promoter.

"C" is for Cleveland, Georgia Allen (1851-1914). Writer, activist. Georgia Allen Cleveland and her husband were noted for their generosity and charity in the Spartanburg community. Both played leading roles in the founding of Converse College

"C" is for Cleveland School Fire, May 17, 1923.

"C" is for Clemson University Extension Service. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 created the Cooperative Extension Service. The act ended the rivalry between state agricultural commissioners and land grant colleges over the administration of extension work.

“B” is for Bennettsville (Marlboro County; 2020 population 7,020).

“A” is for Attakulla Kulla (d. ca. 1780). Cherokee leader, diplomat.

"W” is for Wigfall, Louis Trezevant (1816-1874). U.S. senator.

“T” is for Toumey, Michael (1805-1857). In 1844 Toumey was appointed “State Geological Surveyor for South Carolina.

“S” is for Sawyer, Benjamin Mack (1890-1940). Public official. During Benjamin Mack Sawyer’s tenure, the miles of roadways in the state doubled and two out of three of those miles were paved.

“R” is for Ring shout. During the era of enslavement as Africans from various ethnic groups joined together in the ring shout, it became an important mechanism through which a new common African American identity was formed.

“P” is for Peurifoy, John Emil (1907-1955). Diplomat “Jack” Peurifoy gained a reputation during his tenure for being a dedicated “Cold Warrior.”