sc history

“T” is for Taylor, John (1770-1832). Congressman, governor, U.S. senator. Born near Granby, Taylor graduated from Princeton in 1788. Later he read law in Charleston and established a practice in Columbia. In 1793 he was elected to the first of six terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Taylor later served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1807-1810) and the U.S. Senate (1810-1816). A Democratic-Republican, he became a key player in congressional efforts to make economic sanctions an effective deterrent against British and French violations of American neutral trading rights. From 1818-1825 he was a member of the state senate and in 1826 elected governor. As governor, John Taylor used his position to rally opposition against Congress, whose continued sanctions of protective tariffs and internal improvements he denounced as unconstitutional and inequitable.

“T” is for Taylor, John (1770-1832). Congressman, governor, U.S. senator. Born near Granby, Taylor graduated from Princeton in 1788. Later he read law in Charleston and established a practice in Columbia. In 1793 he was elected to the first of six terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Taylor later served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1807-1810) and the U.S. Senate (1810-1816). A Democratic-Republican, he became a key player in congressional efforts to make economic sanctions an effective deterrent against British and French violations of American neutral trading rights. From 1818-1825 he was a member of the state senate and in 1826 elected governor. As governor, John Taylor used his position to rally opposition against Congress, whose continued sanctions of protective tariffs and internal improvements he denounced as unconstitutional and inequitable.

“S” is for St. James Goose Creek Parish. A long rectangle extending northwestward from the Cooper River through modern Charleston, Berkeley, and Orangeburg Counties, St. James Goose Creek was one of the ten original parishes created by the Church Act of 1706. By 1672 a group of settlers from Barbados had settled with their enslaved property on Goose Creek, a meandering tributary of the Cooper River. The “Goose Creek Men” were experienced colonists and accomplished planters and they quickly came to dominate the colony both politically and economically. Colonial Goose Creek was the most prosperous and populous community outside Charleston, attributes that are reflected in its ornate parish church that was completed in 1719. With the abolition of the parish system in 1865, St. James Goose Creek Parish became a part of Berkeley County.

“S” is for St. James Goose Creek Parish. A long rectangle extending northwestward from the Cooper River through modern Charleston, Berkeley, and Orangeburg Counties, St. James Goose Creek was one of the ten original parishes created by the Church Act of 1706. By 1672 a group of settlers from Barbados had settled with their enslaved property on Goose Creek, a meandering tributary of the Cooper River. The “Goose Creek Men” were experienced colonists and accomplished planters and they quickly came to dominate the colony both politically and economically. Colonial Goose Creek was the most prosperous and populous community outside Charleston, attributes that are reflected in its ornate parish church that was completed in 1719. With the abolition of the parish system in 1865, St. James Goose Creek Parish became a part of Berkeley County.

“R” is for Rash, Ron (b. 1953). Poet, novelist. A native of Chester, Rash graduated from Gardner-Webb College and received an M.A. in English from Clemson. Since 2003, he has been the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University. Rash’s family has lived in the southern Appalachian Mountains since the 1700s. His fiction and poetry about the people of Appalachia and the mill towns are filled with gentle humor, family strife, and economic problems. Although the people in his work are beset by drought, floods, and layoffs, Rash focuses on their enduring and universal qualities. He tells of their everyday joys and sorrows, of their disappointed religious yearnings, of their strengths, weakness, and foibles. In addition to his poetry and novels, Ron Rash has achieved international acclaim for his short stories.

“R” is for Rash, Ron (b. 1953). Poet, novelist. A native of Chester, Rash graduated from Gardner-Webb College and received an M.A. in English from Clemson. Since 2003, he has been the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University. Rash’s family has lived in the southern Appalachian Mountains since the 1700s. His fiction and poetry about the people of Appalachia and the mill towns are filled with gentle humor, family strife, and economic problems. Although the people in his work are beset by drought, floods, and layoffs, Rash focuses on their enduring and universal qualities. He tells of their everyday joys and sorrows, of their disappointed religious yearnings, of their strengths, weakness, and foibles. In addition to his poetry and novels, Ron Rash has achieved international acclaim for his short stories.

“P” is for Palmetto Building (Columbia). When completed in 1913, the Palmetto Building in Columbia was the tallest building in the Carolinas and one of the most stylish skyscrapers in the South. Designed by the New York architect Julius Harder for the Palmetto National Bank, the structure is fifteen stories tall and built of steel-frame construction on a U-shaped plan. The limestone base and glazed terra cotta facades feature Gothic-revival styling, foliated pilasters and entablatures, and a specially designed palmetto tree motif. The building culminates in a crown composed of Gothic arches, a handsome copper cornice, and a stone parapet. The elaborately decorated ground-floor banking room features a mosaic tile floor with a palmetto tree inlay. One of Columbia’s most recognizable landmarks, the Palmetto Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

“P” is for Palmetto Building (Columbia). When completed in 1913, the Palmetto Building in Columbia was the tallest building in the Carolinas and one of the most stylish skyscrapers in the South. Designed by the New York architect Julius Harder for the Palmetto National Bank, the structure is fifteen stories tall and built of steel-frame construction on a U-shaped plan. The limestone base and glazed terra cotta facades feature Gothic-revival styling, foliated pilasters and entablatures, and a specially designed palmetto tree motif. The building culminates in a crown composed of Gothic arches, a handsome copper cornice, and a stone parapet. The elaborately decorated ground-floor banking room features a mosaic tile floor with a palmetto tree inlay. One of Columbia’s most recognizable landmarks, the Palmetto Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Prior to the abolition of slavery, thousands of African-descended people in the Americas lived in freedom. Their efforts to navigate daily life and negotiate the boundaries of racial difference challenged the foundations of white authority—and linked the Americas together. In Black Freedom in the Age of Slavery: Race, Status, and Identity in the Urban Americas (2020, USC Press), John Garrison Marks reveals how skills, knowledge, reputation, and personal relationships helped free people of color improve their fortunes and achieve social distinction in ways that undermined whites' claims to racial superiority.

Prior to the abolition of slavery, thousands of African-descended people in the Americas lived in freedom. Their efforts to navigate daily life and negotiate the boundaries of racial difference challenged the foundations of white authority—and linked the Americas together. In Black Freedom in the Age of Slavery: Race, Status, and Identity in the Urban Americas (2020, USC Press), John Garrison Marks reveals how skills, knowledge, reputation, and personal relationships helped free people of color improve their fortunes and achieve social distinction in ways that undermined whites' claims to racial superiority.