Towns & Cities

An up-close view of some of South Carolina's small towns and cities.

Aiken County Courthouse | History Of SC Slide Collection

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Aiken County Courthouse | History Of SC Slide Collection

Episode 1

Aiken County Courthouse, photographed by J.A. Palmer, around 1890. The town of Aiken was laid out in 1834, at the western end of the Charleston-Hamburg Railway line, built to carry cotton from the...

A Hunting Party In Aiken, 1910 | History Of SC Slide Collection

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Pre K
Kindergarten
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A Hunting Party In Aiken, 1910 | History Of SC Slide Collection

Episode 2

A hunting party in at Aiken, around 1910. The dry, pleasant climate attracted winter visitors to Aiken as early as the 1850s, but its real expansion as a winter resort took place after the Civil War...

The Plaza In Abbeville | History Of SC Slide Collection

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The Plaza In Abbeville | History Of SC Slide Collection

Episode 1

The Plaza in Abbeville, in a postcard view from around 1900. The county seat of Abbeville County (one of the counties or districts created by the state in 1785), the town was named after Abbeville...

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Parris Island Naval Dry-Dock | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 6

In the early 1880s, the federal government began to purchase land in the Port Royal area for a permanent naval base. Plans for such a base had long been the dream of Robert Smalls, the U.S...

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American Red Cross Headquarters, 1893 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

Scarcely had the city of Charleston recovered from the 1886 earthquake than the entire coast, including Charleston, was struck by a devastating hurricane in 1893. It created extensive damage in the...

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Charleston's Homeless Crisis After Earthquake | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

Hundreds of people were left homeless by the destruction of the 1886 earthquake. Others feared to stay in their homes lest there should be another quake, or weakened walls collapse. Here, families...

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Train Derailed by Earthquake | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 3

The force of the 1886 Charleston earthquake knocked this train from its tracks. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

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Charleston Earthquake | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 2

At 9:45 p.m. on August 31, 1886, a major earthquake struck Charleston. There were 27 people killed in the collapse of buildings, and another 33 died later of injuries. Buildings were destroyed, roads...

Confederate Ram Under Construction | History of SC Slide Collection

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Confederate Ram Under Construction | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 37

A Confederate ram under construction in Charleston. From "Leslie's Illustrated Weekly." Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

Forfeited Estate Plat in Port Royal | History of SC Slide Collection

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Forfeited Estate Plat in Port Royal | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 35

Forfeited estate plat from Port Royal Island. The surveyor reported, "This tract subject to Mrs. Poingsett's Right of Dower during her life." The plat--an official map made by a surveyor that gave the...

Beaufort's Contraband Problem | History of SC Slide Collection

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Beaufort's Contraband Problem | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 34

The occupation of the Beaufort area enabled many slaves to flee their masters. In the chaos of war and occupation, many brought with them household goods, furniture, and clothing from the homes their...

Federal Occupation of Beaufort | History of SC Slide Collection

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Federal Occupation of Beaufort | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 33

Federal forces under General Stevens march triumphantly into the town of Beaufort on December 5, 1861. "Harper's Weekly" reported to its readers, "The beautiful rural town of Beaufort came into...

The Bombardment of Fort Sumter | History of SC Slide Collection

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The Bombardment of Fort Sumter | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 26

On April 11, 1861, with the supply ships Lincoln had promised to send already underway, General P.G.T. Beauregard sent James Chesnut with a message to Major Anderson, demanding to know when he would...

General Sherman's Army Crossing the Saluda River | History of SC Slide Collection

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General Sherman's Army Crossing the Saluda River | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 10

When General William Tecumseh Sherman invaded South Carolina, he surprised those who expected him to strike first at Charleston. Instead, he marched the main body of his army northward toward Columbia...

Institute Hall | History of SC Slide Collection

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Institute Hall | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

The National Democratic nominating convention in session at Institute Hall in Charleston on April 28, 1860. The convention was unable to bridge the differences between northern and southern wings of...

Charleston Battery, 1865 | History of SC Slide Collection

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Charleston Battery, 1865 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 1

This view of the Battery in Charleston, circa 1865, gives a good view of how that city appeared during the Civil War, and how it had prepared for its defense. The area is still known as the Battery...

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Encampment at Hadril's Point | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 8

John C. Calhoun (see John C. Calhoun and John C. Calhoun), newly elected to the House of Representatives in 1811, was an eager supporter of avenging American honor by going to war against England...

Sergeant William Jasper, Hero of Fort Moultrie | History of SC Slide Collection

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Sergeant William Jasper, Hero of Fort Moultrie | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 6

When a British shot tore the South Carolina flag from its staff during the attack on Sullivan's Island, Sergeant Jasper, an Irishman, risked becoming a target himself to replace the flag, lest the...

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Fort Moultrie II | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

The British ships fired on Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776, in an attack outlined in this map. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.

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Charleston Exchange Building | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 21

The focal point of this 1780 view of Charleston from the harbor is the handsome Exchange Building, begun in 1767 as an exchange and customs house for one of the most prosperous shipping towns in the...

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Plat Or Map From Writs Of Partition Files | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 8

A plat from the "Writs of Partition" files, in the case of "Brewton v. Izard," dated April 17, 1760. (A plat is a map drawn by a surveyor following the legal definition of a piece of property, and...

Charleston, South Carolina in 1742 | History of SC Slide Collection

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Charleston, South Carolina in 1742 | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 5

The city of Charleston in 1742 was a bustling port town of 6,800, the fourth largest city in British North America. Half of its population were African-American slaves. They were the labor on which...

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Purrysburg Cemetery | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 4

During the 1730s, to protect against Native American attack and slave uprising, the government made plans to establish eight townships in a semicircle about one hundred miles around Charles Town (see...

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Major Stede Bonnet | History of SC Slide Collection

Episode 1

The Pirate Stede Bonnet is one of the more colorful characters in South Carolina history. In the early 18th century there was sometimes very little difference between legal piracy--the licensing of...

Towns & Cities

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