South Carolina State Facts - History Firsts

Catch up on your state trivia with these South Carolina history firsts and interesting fun facts about the state.

Official Name South Carolina
Capital Columbia
Location
Region		 34.03923 N, 080.88634 W
South
Constitution Ratified 1895
Statehood May 23, 1788
8th state
Number of Counties 46 Counties in South Carolina
Largest County
(by population)		 Greenville County
379,616
792 sq. mi.

South Carolina History Firsts & State Facts


More South Carolina History Firsts & State Facts

  • The largest organized Native American nation remaining in South Carolina is the Pee Dee, with a population of about 2500 in four northeastern counties.
  • Stretching 60 miles from Little River to Georgetown, South Carolina's Grand Strand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States.
  • Table Rock State ParkThere is a place called Table Rock State Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Pickens County, South Carolina. Find mountain streams and waterfalls to the tops of Pinnacle and Table Rock mountains. According to Indian legend, a gigantic chieftain dined at the "table" high above ordinary mortals.
  • The walls of the American fort on Sullivan Island, in Charleston Harbor, were made of spongy Palmetto logs. This was helpful in protecting the fort because the British cannonballs bounced off the logs.
  • The City of Myrtle Beach is in the center of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile crescent of beach on the South Carolina coast. In the last 25 years, Myrtle Beach has developed into the premier resort destination on the East Coast.
  • South Carolina grows more peaches than any other state except California. South Carolina is the nation's leading peach producer and shipper east of the Mississippi River.
  • Before being known as the Palmetto State, South Carolina was known as, and had emblazoned on their license plates, the Iodine State.
  • William Symmes (Bill) VoiselleThe only major league baseball player to wear the name of his hometown on his uniform was pitcher William Symmes (Bill) Voiselle (January 29, 1919 - January 31, 2005) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1942 through 1950, Voiselle played for the New York Giants (1942-47), Boston Braves (1947-49) and Chicago Cubs (1950). He batted and threw right-handed.. He wore number 96. Ninety Six is a town in Greenwood County, South Carolina.
  • The Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame features champion thoroughbred flat racers and steeplechase horses trained in Aiken.
  • The Black River Swamp Preserve is located near Andrews. This slow-moving river is characterized by high concentrations of organic carbon, which accounts for the tea-colored water and gives rise to the diverse habitats in its widespread floodplain.
  • Batesburg-Leesville is home to the annual South Carolina Poultry Festival held in early May.
  • South Carolina's smallest county is McCormick at 360 square miles while the largest county is Horry at 1,134 square miles
  • Chapin is known as the Capital of Lake Murray.
  • Sumter has the largest Gingko farm in the world.
  • Stretching 60 miles from Little River to Georgetown, South Carolina's Grand Strand is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States.
  • Tyler Brothers Work Shoe and Boot Company in Wagener produces 8 major brands of OSHA approved safety footwear, including such famous brands as Redwing, Georgia, Northlake, and Wolverine.
  • The Edisto River Canoe & Kayak Trail covers 66 miles of the river for which it's named. The Edisto is reputed to be the world's longest free-flowing "blackwater" stream. "Blackwater" is a term that not only describes the color of the tannin-rich water, but also refers to the peaceful rate of flow that characterizes such rivers.
  • The Argent train Engine No. 7 was donated to the town of Hardeeville upon the closing of the Argent Lumber Company. This narrow gauge train is a rarity and attracts many people from across the nation.
  • The first boll weevil found in South Carolina is on display at the Pendleton District Agricultural Museum.
  • Duncan Park Baseball Stadium in Spartanburg is the oldest minor league stadium in the nation.
  • A 24-mile motorcycle trail and a 26-mile horse trail are unusual features of Parsons Mountain Park in the Sumter National Forest.
  • The Isle of Palms was originally named Hunting Island and then Long Island, it's thought to be at least 25,000 years old, and was first inhabited by the indigenous Seewee Indians.
  • Johnston is called The Hub of the Ridge because it is located at the meeting place of the three river systems which flow away from the Ridge, a fertile plateau about thirty miles long between clay hills to the north and sand hills to the south.
  • Johnston is known as the Peach Capital of the World.
  • Sweetgrass basket making has been a part of the Mount Pleasant community for more than 300 years. Basket making is a traditional art form that has been passed on from generation to generation.
  • Bomb Island on Lake Murray each spring and summer is the home of a very unusual event. Each year thousands of Purple Martins return to this island to roost for the summer. The island has been declared a bird sanctuary and it is quite a sight to watch these birds return to Bomb Island each day around sunset.
  • At the Riverbanks Zoological Park in Columbia more than 2000 animals thrive in recreated natural habitats with no bars or cages.
  • Little River is the Gateway to the Grand Strand. Giant moss-covered oak trees, that are centuries old, line its waterfront and many streets!
  • There is an old saying in Marion that anyone who drinks water from Catfish Creek becomes infatuated with the area and wishes to remain there.
  • Red Spider Lilies were first planted in the US, in the Willington-Mt. Carmel area when Dr. James Morrow sent them and other plants from the Orient while he served as surgeon with Commodore Perry's expedition to open trade with Japan.
  • Housed in a 100-year-old freight depot, the Cowpens museum is a showplace for relics belonging to the crew of the USS Cowpens, a famous World War II aircraft carrier.
  • Orangeburg is known as the "Garden City" because of its beautiful Edisto Memorial Gardens. The Edisto Memorial Gardens displays past and current award winning roses from the All-American Rose Selections.
  • Summerville's beauty is mirrored in her motto, "The Flower Town in the Pines." Since the early 1900's day tourists have flocked to the town during early spring to enjoy millions of spring blossoms, particularly azaleas, in private and public gardens, including the mid-town Azalea Park.
  • Fountain Inn is proud of the town's most famous native son. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates lost his leg in a cotton gin accident at the age of 12; he overcame his tragedy to become a famous dancer. His signature step was the "Imitation American Jet Plane," in which he would jump five feet in the air and land on his peg leg, with his good leg sticking out straight behind him. During his career, Bates performed more than 20 different times on the Ed Sullivan television show more than any other artist.
  • The Upper Whitewater Falls is the highest cascade in eastern America; it descends for nearly 411 feet.
  • Beginning Labor Day and running through the following weekend, the South Carolina Apple Festival celebrates the beginning of apple harvest season in Oconee County, the largest apple-producing area in the state.
  • The Columbia City Ballet, South Carolina's oldest dance company, has developed into one of the most broadly supported performing arts organizations in the state.
County Information and County History

Abbeville,  Aiken,  Allendale,  Anderson,  Bamberg,  Barnwell,  Beaufort,  Berkeley,  Calhoun,  Charleston,  Cherokee,  Chester,  Chesterfield,  Clarendon,  Colleton,  Darlington,  Dillon,  Dorchester,  Edgefield,  Fairfield,  Florence,  Georgetown,  Greenville,  Greenwood,  Hampton,  Horry,  Jasper,  Kershaw,  Lancaster,  Laurens,  Lee,  Lexington,  Marion,  Marlboro,  McCormick,  Newberry,  Oconee,  Orangeburg,  Pickens,  Richland,  Saluda,  Spartanburg,  Sumter,  Union,  Williamsburg,  York

State Facts & History Firsts
State Fun Facts - History Firsts