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The main road at Camp Jackson, 1917. Courtesy of the Howard G. Woody Postcard Collection.
Richland
Richland County lies in the South Carolina midlands. Its county seat, Columbia, also serves as the state capital.
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.
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The outbreak of World War I in Europe in 1914 at first did not seem to involve Americans. President Woodrow Wilson, who had spent part of his boyhood in Columbia, promised to keep the U.S. out of the...
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President Taft speaks at the South Carolina State Fair Grounds on November 6, 1909. Courtesy of the South Carolina State Museum.
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This "composite photograph" brings together 63 members of the 1868 Reconstruction legislature of South Carolina. Of that body, 50 were African-American, 30 were white. Colonel James G. Gibbes of...
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In the aftermath of the 1876 election, Wade Hampton III stood on the steps of the State House on November 28, 1876, urging his followers to avoid acts of violence. Hampton and the Democrats elected to...
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Nearly 20,000 people were crowded into Columbia when Sherman's army approached, and its streets were crowded with cotton bales. Whether Sherman's advance forces, panicky Confederate deserters camped...
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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...
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South Carolinians met here at the First Baptist Church in Columbia on December 17, 1860, determined to end their membership in the United States in protest against the election of Abraham Lincoln, a...
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The Governor's Mansion, seen in this 1907 postcard view, was originally constructed in 1855 as the officers' barracks of the Arsenal Academy, which later merged with the Citadel and moved to...
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Aerial photo of the South Carolina State House in 1976. In 1900, the legislature decided to add the porticoes and tower of 1854 architect John R. Niersee's original plan. A commission appointed Frank...
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The Palmetto Monument, erected in honor of the Palmetto Regiment's heroic actions in the Mexican War, stands outside the South Carolina State House. Courtesy of the Howard G. Woody Postcard Collection...
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The Sandhills of South Carolina marked the edge of the ancient ocean shoreline nearly 55 million years ago in what is now South Carolina. The Sandhills today form a band that separates the Midlands...
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The Saluda River Crossing at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden was the location of one of the important events in South Carolina history. Let’s visit with Ed and learn more about the crossing.
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The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a historical site as well as zoo. Local historian Scott P. talks about how the old Saluda River Bridge was burned in 1865 in an effort to stop Sherman's March into...
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This reenactment is based on excerpts from Emma LeConte’s diary. Emma, then seventeen years old, kept a diary for several months in 1865 chronicling the approach, occupation and burning of the city of...
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Questions could only be asked during the live program. Please do not call now. Questions include the following: Years for renovation to be completed: 3 full years Cost of the renovation: Whole project...
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Architect Joe Rogers discusses renovations needed to bring the South Carolina State House up to current building standards for the safety of occupants, work that was needed on the foundation, and...
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The construction of the State House was begun in 1855 and continued through February 17, 1865. It is South Carolina's third State House. The first one was built in the mid-18th century in Charleston...
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A visit to the renovated South Carolina State House. At the end of the 1995 Legislative Session, State House staff moved across the street and the construction crews moved in. Many challenges were...
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Jean Hoefer Toal was elected the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court on March 23, 2000. As Chief Justice, she presides over the highest court in South Carolina. Her court sets the rules...
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The textbooks used today in the study of South Carolina history are influenced by the work of Mary C. Simms Oliphant. Her book The South Carolina Reader taught South Carolinians their state's history...
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Dr Kary Mullis, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry, 1993, discovered how to clone DNA. He also grew up in Columbia, S.C.! He earned a Ph.D in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. In...
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Major General, USMC, Charles F. Bolden, Jr. - military pilot, astronaut, shuttle pilot, and former NASA administrator (resigned Jan. 20, 2017). In a conversation with students, Major General Bolden...
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As a child, Major General Charles Bolden knew that he wanted to be a pilot. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, Charles grew up in the 1950s, a time when a young African American boy might be...
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