South Carolina from A to Z

“R’ is for Richardson, John Peter (1801-1864). Congressman, governor.

“P” is for Perry, James Margrave (1894-1964). Attorney. “Miss Jim” Perry was the first woman admitted to the South Carolina Bar and a distinguished lawyer and civic leader for forty years.

“M” is for McBee, Vardry (1775-1864). Industrialist. By 1860 Vardry McBee was the largest landholder in Greenville District.

“L” is for Lettered Olive. State shell. The lettered olive was declared the official state shell in 1984.

“J” is for Johnston, Henrietta de Beaulieu Dering (ca. 1674-1729). Portrait painter. Pastels by Henrietta Dering Johnston are housed in private collections and museums in Ireland and the United States.

“H” is for Hash. Hearty meals have been cooked in large, cast-iron pots since the Middle Ages. Variations are endless. In South Carolina, hash takes the place of honor held by Brunswick stew in other southern states.

"G” is for Gilman, Samuel Foster (1791-1858). Clergyman. Samuel Foster Gillman’s tireless efforts helped establish Unitarianism as a viable religion in South Carolina and the American South.

“F” is for Fort San Felipe. Built is 1566, Fort San Felipe was the first fort that Spaniards constructed in the town of Santa Elena on present-day Parris Island.

“E” is for Ellison, William (ca. 1790-1861). Free Black entrepreneur. Ellison manufactured his own “Ellison Gin,” selling them to customers as far west as Mississippi.

“D” is for DeSaussure, William Ford (1792-1879). U.S. senator.

“C” is for Carroll, Richard (1860-1929). Clergyman. Born in Barnwell District, Carroll rose from being enslaved to be one of the most influential African Americans in South Carolina in the early twentieth century.

“B” is for Beasley, David Muldrow (b. 1957). Governor. Humanitarian

“A” is for Ansel, Martin Frederick (1850-1945). Governor. During his second term he oversaw the creation of the South Carolina Office of Public Health and the State Department of Insurance.

“W” is for White, Edward Brickell (1806-1882). Architect. In the twenty years prior to the Civil War, Edward Brickell White was South Carolina’s pre-eminent architect.

“T” is for Townes, Charles Hard (1915-2015). Physicist, Nobel laureate.

“S” is for Sandhills. The Sandhills are gently rolling hills that form the uppermost portion of the coastal plain in South Carolina.

“R” is for Richardson, James Burchell (1770-1836). Governor. Richardson became the first backcountry resident—indeed the first non-Charlestonian—to hold the office.

“P” is for Perry, Benjamin Franklin (1805-1886). Journalist, governor. One of antebellum South Carolina’s preeminent Unionist political leaders, Perry was born in what is now Oconee County.

“M” is for Mays, Benjamin Elijah (1894-1984). Civil rights activist, writer, college president. Born in what is now Greenwood County, Mays—from early childhood—had an insatiable desire for education.

“L” is for LeJau, Francis (ca. 1665-1717). Clergyman, educator.

“J” is for Johnson, William Woodward (1931-2017). Banker. Johnson rose to chairman of the executive committee of Bank of America and was a director of the corporation.

“H” is for Hartsville (Darlington County; 2020 population 7,562). Hartsville owes its existence to Captain Thomas Hart of Society Hill, who purchased much of the original town site in 1812.

“G” is for Gillman, Caroline Howard (1794-1888). In the mid-nineteenth century Caroline Howard Gillman was a well-loved and prolific writer.

“F” is for Fort Prince George. Fort Prince George was constructed in 1753 on the east bank of the Keowee River near the Cherokee village of the same name.

“E” is for Ellison, Lilllian (1923-2007). Professional wrestler. Known to the world as the “Fabulous Mooloah,” Ellison was born in Tookiedoo, South Carolina.