History 2.0 - SC Signers of the Declaration of Indepedence




Columbia's Daily Phoenix Newspaper July 1867.

 
  Happy Fourth of July readers! Many of you are probably busy enjoying a day off work by getting drunk and lighting papers stuffed full of gun powder on fire, which is a fine time-honored tradition practiced by Americans for many generations. However, before you grab the cooler and the matches ask yourself how much do you know about the four South Carolinians who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776? You may have heard of Edward Rutledge thanks to his (rather melodramatic) penchant for belting out show tunes and, of course, his fabulous taste in wigs but I bet the names of the other three men are a bit harder to remember (without a trip to Google). No worries! Because I have decided to spend my Fourth the best way I know how - by doing a bunch of research and writing an essay about it.

　

I Want To Go To There - Kensington Mansion

  Last week I was pulling weeds in my backyard and instead of going inside to get a drink I managed to just suck some water right out of the air . . . and you know what that means - it's summer in South Carolina! No school, and lots of vacation days, means more time for you to check out some pretty interesting historic sites across the state. Unfortunately, it's easy to miss out on some of the smaller places among more popular sites like Drayton Hall, Historic Brattonsville and the marketing juggernaut that is Biltmore Estate. So, this summer I'll be doing a series of posts highlighting a few less well-known sites in the hopes that you'll pack up the kids, car, and whatever else you need for a road trip, and visit some of these off the beaten places. Seriously, you won't regret it.

RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES: 5 Things Worth Knowing About the State Hospital's Bull Street Campus

If you live in Columbia you’ve probably been seeing a lot of stories over the past few years on the SC Dept. of Mental Heath’s Bull St. property. There are a lot of arguments going back and forth about how to use the land, what buildings are worth saving, where the Confederate treasure is buried (just kidding!), etc. Anyway, I thought it might be nice to explore the background of the historic site in handy list form.

South Carolina BAMFs - Gen. Charles M. Duke

Charlie Duke on the moon. Image courtesy of NASA.

    

     Forty years ago this month South Carolina native Charles M. Duke WALKED ON THE MOON. If that is not very definition of bad ass, I don't know what is.  His FOOTSTEPS are still on the moon! I mean, I really shouldn't have to say anything further to prove his BAMFness.

But I will.

History 2.0 - How Columbia Got Its Name PICSPAM

This may very well be the silliest thing I've ever done . . . but here goes:

The Year was 1786 and SC State Senator, John Lewis Gervais, introduced a bill to move the capital of South Carolina from Charleston to a more central location.

 Col. John Lewis Gervais

Haha! J/K, he actually looked like this:

Col. John Lewis Gervais (I prefer The Patriot version though, so get used to it)

The rest is after the cut!

If He Were Alive Today - James Henry Hammond

  James Henry Hammond was the Governor of South Carolina, a U.S. Senator and is probably most well-known for coining the phrase, "Cotton is King". He was also an egotistical, misogynistic jerk face and was, pretty much, a miserable excuse for a human being. However, being an awful person didn't keep him from becoming a powerful political figure, having a school named after him or stop his home, Redcliffe Plantation, from becoming a State Park. In fact, it still holds true today that no matter what kind of ridiculous blowhard you might be, you can still be very rich and have the support of other like minded people. When you think about it, things haven't changed all that much and that made me wonder what old James Henry Hammond might be like if he were alive today.


Curious? Explore the possibilities with me after the cut!

South Carolina BAMFs* - Sarah and Angelina Grimke

  While many other notable South Carolinians paid lip service to the evils of slavery (I’m looking at you Mary Chesnut)** Sarah and Angelina Grimke were active participants in the abolition movement. Born into a wealthy Charleston family the sisters easily could have lived off the labor of the family slaves and spent their time sipping mint juleps. However, in true badass fashion, they rejected the easy life and later became the first women to act as agents for the American Anti-Slavery Society among many other accomplishments.

Learn more after the cut!

History 2.0 - Online Resources for South Carolina Historical Research

  I work a lot so I know how difficult it is to find time to do research at the various archives, libraries and museums across the state.  The good news is there are a lot of online resources available that allow you to do research from the comfort of your own couch (which is where I am sitting right now). 

  Below the cut is a list of all the online databases, archives and other stuff that could help with any South Carolina research you might be doing.  This list is only a start and I'll update with more sources as I find them.

Ready, Steady, Go!

My grandpa in his soap box derby car c. 1934
on Greene at Assembly St in Columbia, SC.

Explore the awesomeness of South Carolina history with me in weekly posts on:

• South Carolina's BAMFs - I find it depressing that only the most awful examples of South Carolinians ever get any widespread media attention so I'll be posting a series of articles on some truly badass people from the palmetto state.
• If They Were Alive Today - Ever wonder what someone like George Washington would be doing if he were alive today? No? Well too bad because your getting some posts about it.
• Awesome Objects - Museums are full of old stuff so join me as I put the focus on some of South Carolina's most interesting artifacts.
• History 2.0 - Highlights of history resources on the internet including digital archives, crowdsourcing projects and more.
• And whatever other shiny things catch my (lazy) eye.

Stick around, things should get interesting! If they don't, then I'm not doing my job right.