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South Carolina from A to Z | South Carolina Public Radio

From  Caesars Head to Hilton Head, and from the Lords Proprietors to Hootie and the Blowfish, historian Walter Edgar mines the riches of the South Carolina Encyclopedia to bring you South Carolina from A to Z.

South Carolina from A to Z is a production of South Carolina Public Radio in partnership with the University of South Carolina Press and SC Humanities.

 

 

 

Resource Type
 Beech Island | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

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  • Pre K
  • Kindergarten
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Beech Island | South Carolina Public Radio
"B" is for Beech Island [Aiken County; population 4,834]. Named for the beech trees growing in the wetlands of the nearby Savannah River swamp—and possibly a dead river island—Beech Island began in...
 Burke, Aedanus | South Carolina Public Radio

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Burke, Aedanus | South Carolina Public Radio
"B" is for Burke, Aedanus (1743-1802). Jurist, congressman. A native of Ireland, Burke arrived in South Carolina in 1775 and served in the militia during the Revolution. In 1780 he was elected a judge...
 Bull, William, II | South Carolina Public Radio

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Bull, William, II | South Carolina Public Radio
"B" is for Bull, William, II (1710-1791). Lieutenant governor. Educated in England and the Netherlands, Bull was a member of the Commons House (1736-1749) and, on occasion, its speaker. In 1749, he...
 Brown, James | South Carolina Public Radio

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Brown, James | South Carolina Public Radio
"B" is for Brown, James (1933-2006). Musician. Born in Barnwell County, Brown began his career in Augusta in the 1950s when he formed the Flames—the first of a series of backing bands that would...
Central |  South Carolina Public Radio Columbia Army Airbase | South Carolina Public Radio

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Columbia Army Airbase | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Columbia Army Air Base. In 1940, Columbia Army Air Base began as one of 250 sites where federal funds would be used to construct an airfield. It was originally designated Lexington County...
 Moise, Edwin Warren | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

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Moise, Edwin Warren | South Carolina Public Radio
"M" is for Moise, Edwin Warren (1832-1902). Lawyer, soldier, adjutant general. A native of Charleston, Moise began his career working for his uncle in Columbus, Georgia. Although he was a vocal...
Bull, William | South Carolina Public Radio Berkeley County | South Carolina Public Radio

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Berkeley County | South Carolina Public Radio
"B" is for Berkeley County [1,098 sq. miles; population 142,651]. Created on May 10, 1682, Berkeley was one of South Carolina's first three counties. It was named for two of the Lords Proprietors...
Central |  South Carolina Public Radio Columbia College | South Carolina Public Radio

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Columbia College | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Columbia College. Chartered in 1854 by the South Carolina Methodist Conference, Columbia College is the eleventh-oldest women’s college in the United States. Initially called Columbia...
 Columbia Canal | South Carolina Public Radio

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Columbia Canal | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Columbia Canal. Completed in 1824, the Columbia Canal—originally three miles long—was located on the east bank of the Congaree River, near the junction of the Broad and Saluda Rivers. It...
McSweeney, Miles Benjamin | South Carolina Public Radio Mills, Robert | South Carolina Public Radio

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Mills, Robert | South Carolina Public Radio
"M" is for Mills, Robert (1781-1855). Architect, engineer, author. A native of Charleston, Mills studied architecture with James Hoban, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Latrobe. Settling in Philadelphia...
 Columbia, Burning of | South Carolina Public Radio

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Columbia, Burning of | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Columbia, Burning of (February 17-18, 1865). Columbia was in chaos when Mayor Thomas J. Goodwyn surrendered the city. Retreating Confederates set fire to the Charlotte Railroad depot...
 Wofford, Kate Vixon | South Carolina Public Radio

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Wofford, Kate Vixon | South Carolina Public Radio
“W” is for Wofford, Kate Vixon [1894-1954]. Educator. After graduating from Winthrop College, Wofford taught at Laurens High School and served in the U.S. Navy during World War I. Returning to Laurens...
Hipp, Francis Moffett | South Carolina Public Radio Hunter, Jane Edna Iris | South Carolina Public Radio

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Hunter, Jane Edna Iris | South Carolina Public Radio
"H" is for Hunter, Jane Edna Iris (1882-1971). Nurse, social worker. Family circumstances forced Hunter to go into domestic service when barely in her teens. She was able to work her way through...
 Hunter, John | South Carolina Public Radio

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Hunter, John | South Carolina Public Radio
"H" is for Hunter, John (d. 1802). Congressman, U.S. senator. Little is known about Hunter’s early life. He owned considerable real estate in Pendleton District. In 1785, he was elected to the General...
 Columbia | South Carolina Public Radio

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Columbia | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Columbia (Richland County; 2010 population 130,493). Named for Christopher Columbus and created in 1786 as the nation’s first truly planned capital city, Columbia has a unique history...
 Humphreys, Josephine | South Carolina Public Radio

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Humphreys, Josephine | South Carolina Public Radio
"H" is for Humphreys, Josephine (b. 1945). Novelist. Born in Charleston, Humphreys graduated from Duke and obtained an M.F.A. from Yale. In 1970, she began teaching at Baptist College in Charleston...
 Colonoware | South Carolina Public Radio

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Colonoware | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Colonoware. On historic-period sites in South Carolina, archaeologists often find locally made, hand-built unglazed pottery that was fired in open hearths rather than kilns. Vessels and...
 Colonial Agents | South Carolina Public Radio

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Colonial Agents | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Colonial Agents. South Carolina, like Britain’s other American colonies, had no elected representatives in Parliament to argue for its interests. The problem for the colony then was how to...
 Colleton County | South Carolina Public Radio

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Colleton County | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Colleton County (1,056 square miles; 2010 population 38, 909). Colleton County was one of three original counties organized in Carolina in 1682. Lying south and west of Charleston between...
 Colleton, Sir John | South Carolina Public Radio

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Colleton, Sir John | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Colleton, Sir John (1608-1666). Proprietor. Colleton was a soldier and courtier of King Charles I and spent more than, £40,000 of his own money to support the king during the English Civil...
Central |  South Carolina Public Radio College of Charleston | South Carolina Public Radio

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College of Charleston | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for College of Charleston. Although plans for a college at Charleston had been discussed throughout the eighteenth century, it was not until 1785 that the legislature authorized the creation of...
 Colleton, James | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

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Colleton, James | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Colleton, James (d. 1706). Governor. Colleton was the son and brother of Carolina proprietors. He was named governor in 1686 with instructions to clamp down on illegal trade with pirates...
 Colhoun, John Ewing | South Carolina Public Radio

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Colhoun, John Ewing | South Carolina Public Radio
"C" is for Colhoun, John Ewing (ca. 1749-1802). U.S. senator. Born in Virginia, Colhoun moved with his family to Long Canes (present-day Abbeville County). He graduated from Princeton in 1774. During...
 Hurricanes | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

Grades

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Hurricanes | South Carolina Public Radio
"H" is for Hurricanes. The term “hurricane” comes from the West Indian word “hurrican,” which means “big wind.” Hurricanes are classified into five categories using the Saffir-Simpson scale based on...