South Carolina’s Historic Sites
A Simple Church on the South Carolina Frontier
Cool Springs Primitive Baptist Church | Greenville County, SC | Founded c. 1840s Tucked back on a quiet rural road in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, a few miles north of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, I came across a small, weathered building with no steeple, no cross, and no ornament of any kind. It…
Decoration Day to Remember the Dead: A Southern Tradition
Every year, before the heat settled in for good and before the long days of summer demanded every hour of labor on the farm, Southern families put down their tools for a day to reflect on their ancestors and care for their graves. They called it Decoration Day, typically in the spring or early summer,…
Alamo History in South Carolina
The Bonham Family House, aka Flat Grove Plantation | Saluda County, South Carolina, built c. 1780s When you think of the Alamo, you probably picture Texas, but did you know a massive piece of Alamo history actually sits quietly on brick and fieldstone pillars in Saluda County, South Carolina? Welcome to the Bonham House, a…
What Was The Great Wagon Road?
The Forgotten Colonial Interstate: History of the Great Wagon Road Imagine packing up everything you own into a wooden wagon and heading into the unknown for months, guided only by rumor, rough directions, and the worn tracks of those who came before you. No maps you could trust.No paved roads.No guarantee you’d make it. Just…
Courting at the Corn Shuck: A Cultural Tradition in the South
Do you know the history of Corn Shuckings? In the early days of rural life in the South, work and play often went hand in hand, and corn shuckings were the perfect example of this. Before mechanical corn pickers harvested corn, farmers picked corn by hand. It was called “shucking corn”. Shucking corn meant: tear…
Cane Grinding: Making Syrup and Building Community in the South
The Cultural Tradition of Cane Grinding in the South Few traditions represent the spirit of rural Southern life quite like the cane grinding. The work of turning sugarcane into syrup was labor-intensive, but the event was also a social gathering and celebration marking the end of one season and the start of another. Long before…
A Steeple Through Time: St. Paul’s and the Story of Little Rock, SC
St. Paul’s Methodist Church | Dillon County, SC | Organized c. 1803, Built c. 1871 Located in Little Rock, South Carolina, stands a church that seems almost too grand for its rural setting. With its soaring steeple, arched windows, and intricate woodwork, St. Paul’s Methodist Church feels more like the centerpiece of a bustling town…
Uncovering the Hidden Story of Pine Grove School
Pine Grove School | Saluda County, SC | Built c. 1900s **This school is on private property and under surveillance. Do Not Trespass Here** On a quiet back road in Saluda County, South Carolina, an aging wooden structure slowly fades into the landscape, surrendering to time and the elements. Most who pass by might not…
Stitching Stories and Building Community: What was a Quilting Bee?
Long before modern sewing machines and fabric stores lined every main street, quilting in the American South was a communal act, rooted in necessity but woven with meaning. And at the heart of it all was the quilting bee: a gathering of women, needles in hand, who came together not just to make quilts, but…
The Queen of the Confederacy
Lucy Holcombe Pickens (1832-1899) Have you ever heard the story of Lucy Holcombe Pickens? Known both during and after her lifetime as the “Queen of the Confederacy,” she was described by her contemporaries as “beautiful, brilliant, and captivating.” Lucy was the only woman to be featured on Confederate money, and as you might imagine, she…
200+ Years of South Carolina History Within These Walls
Excerpt: Built in 1788, the Old Brick Church is one of the only churches from the 18th century that survives in South Carolina. Held within its walls is more than 200 years of history- including graffiti from the Civil War.
Old School House Fades Into the Past
Built in 1915, this historic two-room school house in South Carolina won’t stand much longer so I documented what’s left and spent some time researching its story in hopes of preserving it in some way.
A Ghostly Sentinel Looms Over Charleston
Looming over Charleston harbor is the skeletal remains of Morris Island Lighthouse, the 3rd tower to stand here. And while it has long been decommissioned, the history here might be some of the most fascinating in Charleston, spanning more than 200 years.
Mill Village School is All That’s Left
Built in 1905, the impressive brick structure served as the schoolhouse for the children who lived in the mill village at Lando, South Carolina. Today, it is the most visible reminder of the mill town that prospered and then faded over the past century.
History Lost in South Carolina
This home in Cottageville, SC is thought to have been built in the 1870s but was demolished in 2023 so I spent some time researching its story.
