South Carolina from A to Z

"D” is for DeSaussure, Henry William (1763-1839). Lawyer, jurist, statesman.

“C” is for Carolina Wren. State bird. The Carolina Wren became South Carolina’s official state bird on April 2, 1948.

“B” is for the Beacon Drive-In. In 1946 John B. White opened the Beacon Drive-In restaurant on the outskirts of Spartanburg.

"A” is for Andrews (Georgetown and Williamsburg Counties; 2020 population 2,574). In 1909 the communities of Harpers and Rosemary merged to create the town of Andrews.

You’ve probably heard of NFTs, non-fungible tokens that are usually in the form of digital art. But you may not know that our state is now home to a museum dedicated entirely to NFTs. Robert Matheson is an artist and director of the NFT Museum in Newberry, SC.

“W” is for White, Benjamin Franklin (1800-1879). Composer, author. In 1844 White published The Sacred Harp, a shaped note singing book.

Towne founded Penn School in 1862 that was the first facility providing African Americans with a secondary education. Eventually it served as a normal school, training Black teachers to serve throughout South Carolina.

“S” is for Sanders, Dorinda (Dori) Watsee (b. 1934) Farmer, novelist. Sanders was born in Filbert, in York County. Although she had moved to Maryland in the 1950s, she returned home every year during the growing season helping her family on their two hundred acre peach farm.

“R” is for Richardson, Eudora Ramsay (1891-1973). Feminist, author, lecturer.

“P” is for Penn Center. Located on St. Helena Island in Beaufort County, Penn Center, Inc., originated as the Penn Normal School. It was established by northern missionaries, an effort to educate formerly enslaved Africans and prepare them for life after slavery.

“M” is for Maybank, Burnet Rhett (1899-1954). Mayor of Charleston, governor, U.S. senator.

“L” is for Leigh, Sir Egerton (ca. 1732-1781). Lawyer, jurist, councillor. Leigh immigrated to South Carolina in 1753 with his father, the newly--appointed chief justice of the colony.

“J” is for Johnson, William Henry (1901-1970). Painter. William Henry Johnson’s work can be found in museums across the country.

“P” is for partisans. After the fall of Charleston in May 1780, bands of partisans, or irregular soldiers, sprang up to fight royal control of South Carolina during the Revolutionary War.

“O” is for Orangeburg Massacre (February 8, 1968). On the night of February 8, 1968, police gunfire left three young men dying and twenty-seven wounded on the campus of South Carolina State College in Orangeburg.

“N” is for Newberry County (631 square miles; 2020 population: 38,434).

“M” is for Manning, Richard Irvine (1789-1836). Governor, congressman.

“L” is for Laurens (Laurens County; 2020 population: 8,929).

“T” is for Timrod, Henry (1828-1867). Poet, essayist. A native Charlestonian, Timrod—hedged by poverty, frail health, and the cataclysm of the Civil War—led a brief tubercular life.

“S” is for Saluda River. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Greenville County, near the North Carolina/South Carolina state line, the North and South Saluda Rivers meet to form the Saluda River.

"R” is for Rice, John Andrew, Jr. (1888-1968). Educator, author. A prominent figure in American higher education, Rice was born in Lee County.

“P” is for Pee Dee River. The Pee Dee is a river system that drains northeastern South Carolina and central North Carolina.

“M” is for Mathews, John (1744-1802). Governor. On December 14, 1782, Governor John Mathews presided over the reoccupation of Charleston by American forces.

"E" is for Ebenezer Colony. Founded in 1734, Ebenezer is twenty-five miles up the Savannah River on the Georgia side. This unique settlement of Lutheran refugees from Salzburg, Austria, was included in the Lutheran Synod of South Carolina until 1860.

“C” is for Charismatics. Charismatics are mainline Christians who speak in tongues and practice such gifts of the Holy Spirit as prophecy and healing.