Explore every episode of the podcast South Carolina from A to Z

“C” is for Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. One of the seven largest African American denominations, the CME church was originally titled the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church.

“B” is for Blue Ridge Railroad. Chartered in 1852, the Blue Ridge Railroad revived earlier plans to connect Charleston to the Midwest by rail.

"B” is for Blue Ridge. The Blue Ridge in South Carolina forms the smallest of the geological provinces.

“B” is for Blue granite. Blue granite was designated the state stone by law in 1969.

“H” is for Honey Hill, Battle of (November 30, 1864). The Battle of Honey Hill was the first in a series of engagements fought at the headwaters of the Broad River along the Charleston and Savannah Railroad in November and December 1864.

“H” is for Horry, Peter (ca .1743-1815). Planter, soldier, legislator.

“G" is for Greenville and Columbia Railroad

“D” is for DuBose, William Porcher (1836-1918). Professor, theologian.

“D” is for Drovers. From the late1790s until the 1880s, livestock from Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina were driven through Greenville County to the seaport of Charleston, destined for northern markets in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York or south to Florida and the West Indies.

“C” is for Christensen, Abby Mandana Holmes (1852-1938). Folklorist.

“C” is for Christ Church Parish

“C” is for Citizens’ Councils. Founded in 1954 in Mississippi, citizens councils quickly spread across the South.

“C” is for Chisolm, Julian John (1830-1903). Physician.

“C” is for Childress, Alice (1920-1994 ). Actress, theater director, playwright, novelist.

“P” is for Pinkney, Bill (1925-2007). Musician.

“T” is for Timrod, Henry (1828-1867). Poet, essayist. A native Charlestonian, Timrod—hedged by poverty, frail health, and the cataclysm of the Civil War—led a brief tubercular life.

“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.