South Carolina from A to Z

“C” is for “Carolina.” State song. South Carolina’s oldest official state song is “Carolina,” with words by Henry Timrod set to music by Anne Curtis Burgess.

“C” is for Christian-Jewish Congress of South Carolina. The organization was formed in 1976 as the state’s first organization to foster dialogue and cooperation between Christians and Jews.

"B" is for the Bank of the State of South Carolina. The General Assembly chartered the Bank of the State of South Carolina in 1812—giving it the power to circulate currency and to act as the fiscal agent of the state.

“U” is for the University of South Carolina. The institution was originally chartered as South Carolina College in 1801 and opened in 1805. During Reconstruction, the college became a university and was the only Southern university to be integrated.

"T" is for Taylor, John [1770-1832]. Congressman, governor, U.S. Senator.

"S" is for South Carolina-North Carolina border. In 1735 the two colonies appointed a joint boundary commission.

"P" is for Prehistoric South Carolina. During the last Ice Age human groups may have made their way to what became South Carolina as early as 18,000 years ago—but a time frame of 13,000 years ago is widely accepted by archaeologists.

“M” is for Medical University of South Carolina. At the request of the Medical Society of South Carolina, the General Assembly established the Medical College of South Carolina. It opened in 1824 as a private institution.

“H” is for Hart, Oliver (1723-1795). Clergyman. A native of Pennsylvania, Hart was one of the most influential religious, social, and political leaders of the pre-Revolutionary War South.

“G” is for Gillon, Alexander (1741-1794). Congressman, merchant, naval officer, legislator.

“F” is for Fort Moultrie. This was the site of the June 28, 1776 American victory in the Revolutionary War.

“E” is for Ellis, Mary Gordon (1890-1934). Legislator. A native of Williamsburg County, Ellis graduated from Winthrop. In 1924 she was elected superintendent of education for Jasper County.

“D” is for Dent, Harry Shuler (1930-2007). Political strategist, lay minister.

“C” is for Carolina wolf spider. State spider.

“B” is for Beach music. Beach music, as it is known in the South, originated in the coastal Carolinas in the years following World War II.

“A” is for Anderson Motor Car Company. In 1915 John Gary Anderson, owner of the Rock Hill Buggy Company, realized that the era of horse-drawn transportation was coming to an end.

“W” is for Whipper, William J. (d. 1907). Legislator. Whipper was one of the most influential African American politicians in South Carolina’s Reconstruction government.

“T’ is for Tompkins, Daniel Augustus (1851-1914). Industrialist, journalist.

“S” is for San Miguel de Gualdape. Founded in September 1526 by Lucas Vásquez de Allyón, San Miguel de Gualdape was the first Spanish town in the territory of the present-day United States.

“R” is for Richards, John Gardiner, Jr. (1864-1941). Governor. A native of Kershaw County, Richards was an early supporter of Pitchfork Ben Tillman.

“P” is for Pendleton (Anderson County; 2020 population 3,499). The town of Pendleton was created in 1790 as the seat of Pendleton County.

“M” is for Maxcy, Jonathan (1768-1820). College president, minister.

“L” is for Legaré, James Matthews (1823-1859). Writer, painter, inventor.

“J” is for Johnson, William Bullein (1782-1862). Clergyman, educator.

“H” is for Harris, Georgia (1905-1997). Catawba potter.