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!
Anyway, whyyyyyy did Gervais want to move the capital when Charleston was already the social, political and economic center of the state?
Population, y'all.
By 1786 almost 80% of South Carolina's white population lived in the backcountry.
That 80% didn't appreciate having to load up their wagons and haul it to the coast every time they needed to handle political affairs, attend to legal matters or lock up criminals.
So, Gervais introduced a bill to move the capital to a place near Friday's Ferry.
Of course, not everyone was down with his plan. The Intendant (or mayor) of Charleston, Arnoldus Vanderhorst, was certainly not a fan.
I couldn't find an image of him, so I'm using Ralph Fiennes instead.
Vanderhorst and Gervais had a little duel of words on the subject, with Vanderhorst declaring, in what passed for 18th century smack talk, that the new capital would be a place where only the desperate would seek to live so the city should be called a, "Town of Refuge".
Gervais responded that he hoped it would be a place where the oppressed could seek refuge under Columbia's wings.
Two things:
1. Gervais' words sound nice, but when he referred to the 'oppressed' he probably wasn't thinking of the 1,437 enslaved people living in Richland County by 1790.
2. The name 'Columbia' comes from 'Columbus' and was a poetic term used to refer to America. Eventually 'Columbia' was personified as a sort of female goddess symbol for the United States. Like a lady counter-part to 'Uncle Sam' but, you know, classier.
Columbia, looking fab in her flag dress. Image from an early 1900s record cover.
Anyway, the almost 80% of South Carolinians living in the backcountry meant they had more representation in state government. So long story short: Vanderhorst is a loser and Gervais takes home the win.
Even though Gervais won the decision to move the capital, legislators continued to bicker over its name and exact placement. Many preferred the name "Washington" to "Columbia" because George Washington was a living war hero (in 1786) and Columbus was long dead.
Legislators took a vote and Columbia was the victor!
So, THAT is how Columbia got its name.
In case you were wondering.
But you probably weren't.
You can find a list of sources for this post under the cut.
A History of Richland County by John Hammond Moore.
South Carolina: A History by Walter Edgar.
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