“B” is for Big Thursday. For more than six decades the story of the lively football competition between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers was the story of “Big Thursday,” the culmination of State Fair week.By Walter Edgar

“W” is for Williams, David Rogerson (1776-1830). Congressman, governor.By Walter Edgar

“S” is for Scott, Robert Kingston (1826-1900). Governor.By Walter Edgar

“S” is for Scots. The 1707 Treaty of Union allowed Scots free access to the British Empire and large numbers made their way to the southern colonies.By Walter Edgar

“R” is for Robertson, Benjamin Franklin (1903-1943). Journalist. In 1941, Benjamin Franklin Robertson began work on Red Hills and Cotton: An Upcountry Memory, a celebration of Scots Irish folkways and the agrarian lifestyle—the work for which he is best remembered.By Walter Edgar

“W” is for Westos. Carolina colonists learned of this powerful Native American Savannah River nation soon after arrival.By Walter Edgar

“T” is for Timothy, Lewis (d.1757). Newspaper publisher.By Walter Edgar

“S” is for Saluda (Saluda County; 2020 population 3,603).By Walter Edgar

“C” is for Carolina bays. Carolina bays are elliptical, shallow depressions found on unconsolidated sediments of the coastal plain region of eastern North America from Maryland to Florida.By Walter Edgar

"A” is for Allston, Washington (1779-1843). Painter, writer.By Walter Edgar

“P” is for Pickens County (497 square miles; 2020 population 127,983). Located in South Carolina’s northwest corner, Pickens County is an area of lakes and mountains.By Walter Edgar

“M” is for McMillan, Claude Richelieu (1899-1961). Engineer, government official. McMillan’s tenure as chief highway commissioner was one of unparalleled growth.By Walter Edgar

“M” is for McLeod, Thomas Gordon (1868-1932). Governor. As governor, he signed the 6-0-1 Law, which guaranteed all children in South Carolina six months of schooling per year. HBy Walter Edgar

“L” is for Littlejohn, Nina (1879-1963). Hospital administrator. Aware that African Americans did not have access to suitable medical care, Littlejohn created the John-Nina Hospital in 1913.By Walter Edgar

“H” is for Highway 301. The highway’s many nicknames are an indication that it was popular among tourists: “Tobacco Trail,” “Highway of Southern Hospitality,” “Tourist Highway,” “Shortest Route from Maine to Florida,” and “The Washington-Florida Short Route.”By Walter Edgar

“H” is for Highway 17. The modern route of Highway 17 extends from the North Carolina state line to Interstate 95 near Beaufort, closely following the route that Native Americans, early settlers, and even President George Washington traveled many years ago.By Walter Edgar

Gray, Wil Lou (1883-1984). Educator, public servant. Gray transcended race and class barriers by focusing her energy on the eradication of illiteracy through progressive educational program designed for adults.By Walter Edgar

“F” is for Frost, Susan Pringle (1873-1960). Preservationist, suffragist. Frost’s historic preservation initiatives contributed substantially to the movement that transformed the streets of Charleston and made it a national tourist attraction.By Walter Edgar

“E” is for Evans, Matilda Arabella (1872-1935). Physician. Matilda Arabella Evans’s walk-in clinics and hospitals were the first available for many Deep South Blacks.By Walter Edgar

“D” is for Doolittle Raiders. On April 18, 1942, eighty Americans and sixteen B-25 bombers carried out the first attack on the Japanese Islands following Pearl Harbor. The participants began training for the mission in Columbia.By Walter Edgar

“C” is for Charleston, Siege of (April-May 1780). The siege of Charleston marked the commencement of major British operations in the South during the Revolutionary War.By Walter Edgar

“C” is for Charleston (Charleston County; 2020 population 150,903). Charleston was the first permanent European settlement in Carolina, its first seat of government, and the most important city in the southern United States well into the nineteenth century.By Walter Edgar

“C” is for Charlesfort. A mid-sixteenth French outpost in Port Royal Sound, Charlesfort was the first French settlement in the present-day United States.By Walter Edgar

“B” is for Big Apple. This dance was born in the mid-1930s in a Black nightclub operated by a man named Fat Sam on Park Street in downtown Columbia, in what was once the House of Peace Synagogue.By Walter Edgar

“W” is for Wilkinson, Robert Shaw (1865-1932). College president. During the two decades that Wilkinson led the SC State, the college made the transition from essentially a primary and secondary school to a genuine college.By Walter Edgar

“M” is for McKissick, James Rion (1884-1944). Journalist, educator, university president.By Walter Edgar

“M” is for McLaurin, John Lowndes (1860-1934). Congressman, U.S. senator.By Walter Edgar

“P” is for Pickens, William (1881-1954). Educator, author, civil rights advocate.By Walter Edgar

“R” is for Robert, Henry Martyn (1837-1923). Engineer, author.By Walter Edgar

“S” is for Schofield, Martha (1839-1916). Educator. A native of Pennsylvania, Schofield was reared in a Quaker household that was strongly anti-slavery.By Walter Edgar

“L” is for Littlejohn, Cameron Bruce (1913-2007). Attorney, legislator, jurist.By Walter Edgar

“H” is for Hibernian Hall (Charleston). Designed by Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter, Hibernian Hall is among the most significant examples of Greek Revival in Charleston.By Walter Edgar

“G” is for Grave-site decoration. Grave-site decorations in many of South Carolina’s African American cemeteries originate from African traditions.By Walter Edgar

“F” is for Frogmore stew. Perhaps no dish better represents the essential simplicity of lowcountry cuisine than Frogmore stew.By Walter Edgar

“E” is for Evans, Josiah James (1786-1858). Jurist, U.S. senator. As an attorney Evans successfully defended the validity of Mason Lee’s will and testament in what became one of the most legendary cases in South Carolina legal history.By Walter Edgar

“D” is for Donaldson, John Owen (1898-1930). Aviator. In 1951 Greenville Air Base was renamed to honor John Owen Donaldson.By Walter Edgar

“C” is for Charlesfort. A mid-sixteenth century French outpost in Port Royal Sound, Charlesfort was the first French settlement in the present-day United States.By Walter Edgar

“C” is for Chapman, Martha Marshall, II (b. 1949). Musician. Classified by many as a country-music artist, Martha Marshall Chapman,II, and her style nonetheless have been difficult to categorize.By Walter Edgar

“B” is for Bethune, Mary McLeod (1875-1955). Educator, social activist, government official.By Walter Edgar

“W” is for Wilkinson, Marion Birnie (1870-1956). Social reformer, Black women’s club leader.By Walter Edgar

“S” is for Scarborough, William Harrison (1812-1871). Painter. Examples of William Harrison Scarborough’s works can be found in museums around South Carolina.By Walter Edgar

“R” is for Rivers Bridge, Battle of (February 2-3, 1865). The battle marked the only major resistance to Sherman’s march through South Carolina.By Walter Edgar

“P” is for Pickens, Francis (1807-1869). Congressman, diplomat, governor. In 1860 Pickens was elected governor, four days before South Carolina seceded.By Walter Edgar

“M” is for McKaine, Osceola Enoch (1892-1955). Civil rights activist. In 1944, McKaine was the Progressive Democratic Party’s candidate for U.S. Senate—the first time since Reconstruction that a Black Carolinians had run for statewide office.By Walter Edgar

“M” is for McGuire, Frank Joseph (1913-1994). Basketball coach. In 1977 the Frank McGuire Arena in the Carolina Coliseum was named in his honor.By Walter Edgar