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Charleston

“Charleston County and the city of Charleston, its county seat, are the most historic locations in the state.”

“Charleston County and the city of Charleston, its county seat, are the most historic locations in the state.” Situated in the Lowcountry, the county serves as a popular vacation destination but also relies on the business that results from its port. The area in general serves as a large cultural and economic hub for the state.

Charleston County was founded as Charleston District in 1769, and the district became smaller after some of its lands were used to create Colleton and Berkeley counties. The county and its seat were named after King Charles II.

The city and county are saturated with Revolutionary War and Civil War history. Three signers of the United States Constitution and two famous abolitionists resided in Charleston County, and the Civil War began when soldiers fired shots from the county’s Fort Sumter.

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Darius Rucker | S.C. Hall of Fame Philip Simmons | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Philip Simmons | S.C. Hall of Fame
A Charleston native, Philip Simmons (1912-2009) was famous for his decorative ironwork pieces, which are featured throughout Charleston and in various other parts of the world. When he began his...
 Eliza Lucas Pinckney | Legacy of Leadership Profile

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Eliza Lucas Pinckney | Legacy of Leadership Profile
Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722–1793) Eliza Lucas, who was born in 1722 in Antigua, was 16 when she took charge of her father's plantation near Charles Town and successfully managed it. In 1738, Lieutenant...
 John M. Rivers | Legacy of Leadership Profile

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John M. Rivers | Legacy of Leadership Profile
John M. Rivers (1903–1988) After 12 years in banking and two successful years as vice president of a securities firm, John M. Rivers surprised the Charleston business community. He accepted a job as...
William Farrow |  S.C. Hall of Fame James F. Byrnes | S.C. Hall of Fame

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James F. Byrnes | S.C. Hall of Fame
James Francis Byrnes (1882-1972) was born in Charleston and served in all three branches of the federal government. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1911–25) and in the Senate (1931–41)...
Governor John C. West | S.C. Hall of Fame Ernest "Fritz" Hollings | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Ernest "Fritz" Hollings | S.C. Hall of Fame
Ernest “Fritz” Hollings was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1922. He graduated from The Citadel in 1942 and served as an artillery officer in World War Two. After the war, he was elected to the...
 Frances Ravenel Smythe Edmunds | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Frances Ravenel Smythe Edmunds | S.C. Hall of Fame
Frances Ravenel Smythe Edmunds achieved national recognition as an advocate for historic preservation. She graduated from the College of Charleston in 1939. In 1947, she founded the Historic...
 Eliza Pinckney | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Eliza Pinckney | S.C. Hall of Fame
Short biography of indigo planter and colonial entrepreneur Eliza Lucas Pinckney, another example of the enormous contribution the Pinckney family of South Carolina has made to the history of our...
 Cardinal Joseph Bernardin | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Cardinal Joseph Bernardin | S.C. Hall of Fame
Joseph Louis Bernardin was born in 1928 in Columbia, South Carolina, where there were not many Catholics. He was the son of Italian immigrants, with a younger sister Elaine. He was baptized and...
 Governor James Burrows Edwards | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Governor James Burrows Edwards | S.C. Hall of Fame
James Burrows Edwards was born in Hawthorne, Florida, and was an officer in the U.S. Maritime Service during World War II. Edwards received a bachelor's degree in 1950 at the College of Charleston. He...
 Charles Cotesworth Pinckney | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Charles Cotesworth Pinckney | S.C. Hall of Fame
5-minute historical visualization of the biography of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney who is an example of the enormous contribution South Carolinians made to the formation of the government of the United...
Jasper Johns | S.C. Hall of Fame Elizabeth O'Neill Verner | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Elizabeth O'Neill Verner | S.C. Hall of Fame
Elizabeth O'Neill Verner (1883–1979) was an artist, author and preservationist from Charleston, South Carolina. She was one of the leading figures in the “Charleston Renaissance” movement, which...
 Arthur Middleton | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Arthur Middleton | S.C. Hall of Fame
A brief biography of the life of Arthur Middleton, statesman and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Through the use of archival materials, scholar interviews, and historic landmarks and...
 Ambrose E. Gonzales | Legacy of Leadership Profile

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Ambrose E. Gonzales | Legacy of Leadership Profile
1857–1926 Ambrose E. Gonzales was not only an illustrious journalist but a businessman who, against tremendous odds, kept afloat and saw flourish The State newspaper, which he and his brother, N. G...
 Hugh C. Lane | Legacy of Leadership Profile

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Hugh C. Lane | Legacy of Leadership Profile
Hugh C. Lane (1914-2005) For 38 years, Hugh C. Lane was the driving force behind the growth of the Citizens and Southern National Bank of South Carolina, years that spanned the upheaval of the New...
Gayle O. Averyt | Legacy of Leadership Interview Ira M. Koger | Legacy of Leadership Profile

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Ira M. Koger | Legacy of Leadership Profile
Ira M. Koger (1912-2004) Ira Koger has enjoyed success in many endeavors, but real estate development has brought him fame and fortune and the opportunity to serve the communities he has called home...
Colonial Williamsburg, Part 2 | Project Discovery Revisited Avery Research Center | Project Discovery Revisited

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Avery Research Center | Project Discovery Revisited
Charleston, South Carolina, is a city rich in African American culture. Sullivan’s Island, once an entry port from Africa for the slave trade, was considered the gateway to the United States. The...
Colonial Williamsburg, Part 2 | Project Discovery Revisited S.C. Aquarium, Part 1 | Project Discovery Revisited

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S.C. Aquarium, Part 1 | Project Discovery Revisited
The South Carolina Aquarium, located in Charleston, South Carolina, is an impressive place to visit. Operated by a nonprofit organization, the aquarium is 40th in size and fifth in biodiversity. A...
 Wofford B. "Bill" Camp | Legacy of Leadership Profile

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Wofford B. "Bill" Camp | Legacy of Leadership Profile
Wofford Benjamin Camp (1894–1986) Wofford B. "Bill" Camp rose from humble beginnings as a Cherokee County farm boy to become one of the most important thinkers in the history of agriculture. Although...