"K" is for Kershaw, Joseph (ca. 1727-1791). Merchant. A native of Yorkshire, England, Joseph Kershaw immigrated to South Carolina around the mid-1750s. After clerking for a Charleston mercantile firm, he settled near Pine Tree Hill as agent for one of the largest firms in the colony. He expanded his own business operations to include a flour and grist mill, indigo works, a warehouse, a brewery, and a distillery. Kershaw was elected to the Commons House of Assembly, the First and Second Provincial Congresses, and the first five General Assemblies.

When the tremendous benefits of George Washington Carver’s regime of rotating cotton with peanuts resulted in huge numbers of peanuts being grown, it created a dilemma. There wasn’t much demand for peanuts – we weren’t making peanut butter sandwiches or roasting peanuts or using them for candies. But Carter developed mind-boggling uses for this plant.  Paint pigments, different types of paper, sweeping compound, and charcoal were some of the items made from the shells or vines of peanuts.

"U" is for Union Leagues. Union Leagues sprang into existence across South Carolina and the South in the years immediately following the Civil War. The organization’s attraction was partly fraternal, with meetings marked by elaborate rituals, singing, and patriotic proclamations. The leagues’ primary mission, however, was the political education of the freedmen. At meetings the leading issues of the day, such as education, voting rights and land reform were discussed and candidates recommended for public office. By 1867 there were eighty-eight leagues in the state.

The Incas selected and developed peanuts from a wild ancestor 4000 years ago. The Spanish and Portuguese invaders carried the seeds to Africa, Asia and India where they quickly became part   of those peoples’ diets and a crucial ingredient in many recipes. They were reintroduced to the New World as a food for the people captured in Africa and sent to the Americas as slaves. It wasn’t until Dr. Carver began his campaign promoting peanuts that they became recognized as a healthy addition to the diet of all Americans.

Listen to the latest morning headlines
from South Carolina Public Radio
for Friday, October 30, 2020

In the middle of an interview on Zoom, nature called on Hestia Morris to be let into the yard. Veronica Morris took her, trilling a sing-song hellooo to a neighbor under a perfect, cobalt Rock Hill sky.

How ordinary it all would be for anyone who isn’t Veronica Morris. But for this particular service-dog mom, stepping out into the yard without thinking anything of it is not always a guarantee. Morris is an agoraphobe whose condition is so severe, she is considered disabled.