On March 26, National South Carolina Founding Day recognizes The Palmetto State and her unique landscapes, bold personalities, and long history. South Carolina official became a state on March 26, 1776.
The first settlers came to the Province of Carolina at the port of Charleston in 1670. They were mostly wealthy planters and their slaves coming from the English Caribbean colony of Barbados. They started to develop their commodity crops of sugar and cotton.
Catawbas and Cherokee were some of the first to greet Spanish and French explorers in the 16th century. Their tribes dotted the land with villages. The Englished established the first successful settlement near present-day Charleston. Named Carolina initially after King Charles I, the colony later split into North and South Carolina in 1710. Following in the footsteps of the previous colonies, South Carolina would become the eighth state to ratify the constitution.
Though South Carolina may have been more removed from some of the Revolutionary concerns than states like Massachusetts and Connecticut, it hosted some pivotal, if seemingly small battles.
They all begin with the hard-fought and devastating loss at Charles Town. What is now known as the Siege of Charleston, is the largest battle to ever take place in the state. Not even Civil War battles compare. While the British claimed the city and some 5,000 prisoners, the course was set for victories to the west at Cowpens and King’s Mountain.
Slavery and the Civil War play a significant role in South Carolina’s complex social, political, and economic profile. Much of the beauty of South Carolina is reflected in their soulful music and emotive art expressing the voices of generations.
Harleston Green in Charleston established the first golf club in the United States in 1786.
With 187 miles of Atlantic coastline, South Carolina is more than ideal for a beach getaway. With idyllic oceanfront towns, historical tours, delicious seafood, and golf there is a little bit of adventure for everyone.
Interesting Facts about South Carolina Day:
- The Palmetto tree is an important icon of South Carolina since the American Revolutionary War. When the British attacked a fort near Charleston, the cannonballs bounced off spongy palmetto logs used to build the exterior walls.
- The State motto is the Latin Phrase “Dum spiro, spero” which means “While I breathe, I hope”
- Slavery and civil war played a significant role in South Carolina’s complex social, political, and economic profile.
- The smallest town in the state is a patch of land called Smyrna which is only around 0.7 square miles with a population of 45 people.
- A 297 feet tall, St.Matthew’s Lutheran Church is the tallest structure in the city of Charleston.
- Legendary tennis player Althea Gibson, boxing champion Joe Frazier, and future NBA Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett were all born in the Palmetto State.
- There are more peaches produced in South Carolina than in Georgia, which is the Peach State. In the town of Gaffney, there is a landmark water tower shaped like a giant peach that was built in 1980 to honor the peach farmers.
- The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge that connects Charleston and Mount Pleasant was the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America when it was opened in 2005.
- A resident of town Bowman named Jody Pendarvis has built a large “UFO Welcome Center” in his backyard, in case any aliens decide to park their ships.
- The largest living cat, an adult male liger(half lion and half tiger) named Hercules lives at the Myrtle Beach Wildlife Safari.
- Delicacies of South Carolina: The food in South Carolina reflects its history. A few of them are Shrimp and grits, black-eyed peasant rice, Beaufort stew. Lying on the coastlines we can enjoy the best of the Seafoods and Barbecues. Few other delicacies are boiled peanuts, macaroni, and cheese. Mint julep, the best-selling cocktail in the State, and Iced Tea, the best one in the whole country. Few food critics say that “southern food is the mother cuisine of America”. So let’s savor the adventure!!!
