South Carolina from A to Z

“S” is for Saluda River. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Greenville County, near the North Carolina/South Carolina state line, the North and South Saluda Rivers meet to form the Saluda River.

"R” is for Rice, John Andrew, Jr. (1888-1968). Educator, author. A prominent figure in American higher education, Rice was born in Lee County.

“P” is for Pee Dee River. The Pee Dee is a river system that drains northeastern South Carolina and central North Carolina.

“M” is for Mathews, John (1744-1802). Governor. On December 14, 1782, Governor John Mathews presided over the reoccupation of Charleston by American forces.

“P” is for Pines. Nine native pine species are found within South Carolina.

“L” is for Longstreet, Augustus Baldwin (1790-1879). Educator, author, clergyman.

“W” is for Williston (Barnwell County; 2020 population 2,876). Located on U.S. Highway 78 in Barnwell County, Williston is named for early settlers.

“S” is for Shell, Arthur Lee, Jr. (b. 1946). Football player, coach. In 1989, Arthur Lee Shell, Jr., was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“S” is for Sheldon Church (Beaufort County). Moss-draped live oak trees shade the quiet burial ground that surrounds the ruined Sheldon Church of Prince William’s Parish.

“S” is for Sheheen, Robert Joseph (b. 1943). Lawyer, legislator.

“H” is for Holman, Clarence Hugh (1914-1981). Educator, author. Hugh Clarence Holman’s many honors culminated in his appointment as Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“H” is for Holmes, Francis Simmons (1815-1882). Paleontologist, museum curator.

“H” is for Hollis, Lawrence Peter (1883-1978). Educator, social worker.

“G” is for Greens. South Carolina has a long history of cooking greens

“D” is for Drayton, Percival (1812-1865). Naval officer.

“C” is for Chester County (581 square miles; 2020 population 32,294). Named for Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester was one of seven counties created in 1785 from the old Camden Judicial District.

“P” is for Pinckney, Thomas (1750-1828). Governor, diplomat, congressman, soldier.

“P” is for Pinckney, Maria Henrietta (d. 1836). Writer. Pinckney is notable for writing a defense of nullification entitled The Quintessence of Long Speeches, Arranged as a Political Catechism.

“M” is for Middleton, Henry (1717-1784). Planter, politician, president of the Continental Congress.

“M” is for Middleton, Arthur (1742-1787). Legislator, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

“M” is for Michaux, André (1746-1802) and François-André (1770-1855). Botanists.

“L” is for Long, William Williams (1861-1934). Agriculturist.

“H” is for Hollings, Ernest Frederick (1922-2019). Governor, U.S. senator.

“H” is for Hogs. Pork has been important to the diet and economy of South Carolina since colonial times.

“H” is for Holbrook, John Edwards (1794-1871). Physician, naturalist. Holbrook’s numerous publications and his research made him one of the greatest of the pioneering American naturalists.

“G” is for Greener, Richard (1844-1922). Teacher, diplomat. In 1873 Greener accepted a professorship at the University of South Carolina, becoming its first Black faculty member.

“D” is for Drayton, John (1766-1822). Governor, jurist, author. Although he had a distinguished political career, Drayton is most remembered for his achievements as a writer and a botanist.

“C” is for Chesnut, James, Jr. (1815-1885). U.S. Senator, soldier.

“C” is for Cherokees. The Cherokees were one of the largest southeastern Native American nations with which South Carolina colonists had contact.

“B” is for Blackbeard (d. 1718). Pirate. Most commonly known today as Edward Teach, Blackbeard surfaced in Jamaica in mid-1717. In eighteen months he carved an extraordinarily successful career as a pirate, creating an indelible image of “the fiercest pirate of them all” and making him a global icon.

“W” is for Willington Academy. The Willington Academy of Doctor Moses Waddel, a log-constructed classical school for boys, was perhaps the most prestigious preparatory school in antebellum South Carolina.

“S” is for She-crab soup. She-crab soup is uniquely Charlestonian—a silky chowder with European heritage.

“S” is for Shaw Air Force Base. Established in 1941 on the outskirts of Sumter to train pilots for World War II, Shaw Air Force Base later evolved into a home for U.S. Air Force tactical units.

“S” is for Shand, Gadsden Edwards (1868-1948). Architect, engineer.

“R” is for Rogers, George Calvin, Jr. (1922-1997). Author, historian.

“R” is for Rogers, Frank Mandeville (1857-1945). Farmer, businessman. Frank Mandeville Rogers led a group of businessmen to found the state’s first bright leaf tobacco market in Florence in 1891.

“P” is for Pinckney, Josephine Lyons Scott (1895-1957). Poet, novelist, civic leader.

“P” is for Pinckney, Henry Laurens (1794-1863). Legislator, congressman, editor.

“M” is for Miles, William Porcher (1822-1899). Educator, congressman. In 1880 Miles was named president of the South Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanics (the former South Carolina College).

"M” is for Milburn, Frank Pierce (1868-1926). Architect.

“M” is for Mignot, Louis Rémy (1831-1870). Painter. Some scholars have maintained that Louis Rémy Mignot “was arguably the most accomplished southern-born painter of his generation.”

“L” is for Londonborough Township. By the time of the 1790 census, most of the original families were no longer listed, and the entire Londonborough community disappeared in the first decades of the nineteenth century.

“H” is for Hodges, James Hovis (b. 1956). Governor. Education was the centerpiece of Hodges’s term as governor.

“H” is for Hobkirk Hill, Battle of (April 25, 1781). The Battle of Hobkirk Hill, though in itself indecisive, marked the beginning of the British withdrawal from the interior of South Carolina.

“H” is for Hoagland, Jimmie Lee (b. 1940). Journalist. Jimmie Lee Hoagland was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2017.

“G” is for Greene, Nathanael (1742-1786). Soldier. As army commander Nathanael Greene never won a battle… but did win the war

“F” is for Furman University. The Furman Academy and Theological Institution, organized by the South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC) opened its doors in 1827.

“D” is for Dozier, Therese Knecht (b. 1952). 1985 Teacher of the Year. From 1993 to 2001, Therese Knecht Dozier served as a senior advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley.

“C” is for Cherokee War (1776). The Cherokee War of 1776 was an early episode in the Revolutionary War.

“C” is for Cherokee War (1759-1761). The Cherokee War was partly a local, southeastern phase of the French and Indian War and partly the result of the Cherokees’ long-held resentments against abuses by English settlers.