Richland County lies in the South Carolina midlands. Its county seat, Columbia, also serves as the state capital.
The county was founded in 1785 within the Camden District, and its name most likely refers to the “rich land” of the county. In 1791, Richland County became smaller when land previously belonging to this county was added to Kershaw County.
During the Civil War, Sherman entered Richland County and occupied Columbia before setting it on fire.
Since its founding, Columbia has served as an economic hub for the state, especially in terms of trade and manufacturing. The county is home to Fort Jackson, Congaree National Park, and multiple lakes and rivers. Notable county residents include Senator Wade Hampton and President Woodrow Wilson.
SOURCES: About Richland County.
Photo
This detail of a large lithographic map of Columbia published in 1872 shows the campus of the University of South Carolina as it appeared after the Civil War. The Confederate government had taken...
Photo
This colored lithograph portrays the horseshoe of South Carolina College as it appeared in 1853, a half century after its founding. An act to establish the College was passed in December of 1801, but...
Photo
Loulie Shand's kindergarten class, Columbia, early in the 20th century. Photographer Walter L. Blanchard's daughter Ruth is the first girl on the right. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
Photo
A group of school children visited Columbia on Lee-Jackson Day in January around 1910. Dressed in the appropriate colors, they formed the Confederate flag on the steps of the South Carolina State...
Photo
Founded in 1870 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Benedict College occupies a twenty-acre campus on Harden Street in Columbia, across Taylor Street from Allen University. As an important...
Photo
Booker T. Washington High School, Class of 1933, seated on the lawn in front of the main entrance to the school. Founded in 1916, the school was, until its closing in 1974, the hub of the separate...
Photo
This grave of an African American is near St. Andrews in Richland County. The African custom of decorating a grave with items that their former owner might need in the spirit world was widespread in...
Photo
State and County Fair competitions were an important way for farmers to exchange information about their crops and livestock. Until the 1960s, separate segregated fairs were held, both in individual...
Photo
This photograph at the State Fair in 1926 shows boys and older men lined up in a calf competition. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
Photo
Thomas Taylor (1743-1833) owned the plantation at the top of a hill next to the confluence of the Broad and Saluda Rivers in Richland County that became the site of the city of Columbia in 1786 (see...
