F. Transportation in South Carolina | History of SC Slide Collection

From horse and buggy to space shuttles, South Carolinians have relied upon a wide variety of motive power and vehicles to get to where they are going. The story of transportation is actually an extended part of the account of South Carolina's economy: without the ability to move people and goods, neither agricultural, commercial nor industrial activity can succeed in bringing prosperity. Other examples of how people travel can be found, especially in the section of this collection on economy, but also scattered throughout all the images. This section is organized by forms of transportation, and within each example by chronology. Using these images you can: begin with animal power (horses and buggies); explore the changes in water transportation from Native American log canoes to the latest in ocean going and pleasure boats; see the changes in rail travel (train and trolley) over time; follow the progress of the impact that the internal combustion engine has made in South Carolina; and witness the beginning of the air age in our state.

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A "Good Roads Tour," 1914 | History Of SC Slide Collection
A "Good Roads Tour," 1914 | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 1

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A "Good Roads Tour," organized around 1914, promoted the building of better highways by traveling across the country dramatizing road conditions. Curious crowds in Anderson inspect the vehicles on the...
The "Henrietta" | History Of SC Slide Collection
The "Henrietta" | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 1

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The "Henrietta" was the largest ship ever built in Horry County. She was launched in 1875, registering more than 1,200 tons, 201 feet long, and 39 feet wide. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
Horse Drawn Wagon | History Of SC Slide Collection
Horse Drawn Wagon | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 2

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

These two boys wait patiently in the wagon that will take the family's purchases home. Their wagon is parked on the street in front of Welling and Bennoit Hardware in Darlington around 1900. Courtesy...
Native American Canoes | History Of SC Slide Collection
Native American Canoes | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 2

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The first builders of boats for transportation in North America were the tribes of Native Americans who greeted the European invaders with canoes. The canoes of the southeast woodlands tribes were...
Greenville Mail Buggies | History Of SC Slide Collection
Greenville Mail Buggies | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 3

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Mailmen depended on horse and buggy for efficient delivery of the mail. Here, the Greenville mail buggies line up in front of Marchant's Pharmacy around 1918. Courtesy of the Greenville County...
Railroad Timetables | History Of SC Slide Collection
Railroad Timetables | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 3

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Railroad timetables were published in local newspapers to enable business and private travelers to plan their journeys. Note the amount of time that it took to travel from Greenville to Columbia in...
A Three-Wheel Police Motorcycle Squad, 1949
A Three-Wheel Police Motorcycle Squad, 1949
Episode 4

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Greenville policemen Paul Brandon, John Duncan, Charles W. Mitchell, Simpson, Harry Hopkins, and Woodall made up a three-wheel motorcycle squad around 1949. Courtesy of the Greenville County...
The "Mosquito Fleet" | History Of SC Slide Collection
The "Mosquito Fleet" | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 4

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A small fleet of agile boats owned and operated by members of the African-American community in and around Charleston came to be known as the "Mosquito Fleet." They provided a number of essential...
The Pawley's Island Train | History Of SC Slide Collection
The Pawley's Island Train | History Of SC Slide Collection
Episode 4

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Atlantic Coast Lumber Company built this railroad to Pawley's Island from Haley Landing on the Waccamaw River in 1902 to make the island resort easier to reach. The causeway to the island was...