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COLUMBIA,
SOUTH CAROLINA
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Columbia, South Carolina as viewed
from Finlay Park
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A
bill introduced to the South Carolina Legislature by Senator John Lewis
Gervais (of District 96) was approved on March 22, 1786. This bill brought
about the development of a capital and it was to be named Columbia.
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The
commissioners who designed the town decided to offer for sale to the public,
400 blocks with very wide streets, each lot was to be ½ acre. Buyers
were given three years to build a house at least 30 feet long by 18 feet
wide or face a penalty. This was one of the first planned cities in the
US.
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In
1790, the state legislature met there for the first time.
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In
1800, the Santee Canal was completed which gave Columbia a direct river
access to Charleston, one of the busiest ports in the US.
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In
1801, South Carolina College was established in Columbia; today, it is the
University of South Carolina. Columbia was chosen as the site due to its
central location. It was the hope of the school to bring together students
of the upcountry with those of the low country.
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The
tiny settlement was incorporated as a town in 1805 and much later, in 1854,
as a city. By 1860, it was the largest inland city in the Carolinas. Almost
all of its economic wealth was based on cotton.
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By
the mid 1800s, with railroads handling more and more of the shipping traffic,
the Santee Canal ceased operation.
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On
December 17, 1860, Columbia’s First Baptist Church hosted the South
Carolina Secession Convention which resulted in a unanimous vote (159 to
0) to secede from the Union. Being the capital of the first state to secede
put Columbia in an especially unenviable position, though it saw no major
combat through most of the war, much of it was torched by Sherman’s
troops on February 17, 1865.
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It
is said that when General Sherman’s soldiers arrived at the First Baptist
Church, they asked the groundskeeper if this was the church where the South
Carolina Secession Convention had been held back in 1860. The loyal groundskeeper
knew the soldiers were there to burn his church down, so he directed them
to a Methodist church, located down the street! General Sherman’s troops,
with great military precision - burned the wrong church! The old
First Baptist Church still stands today, thanks to a little fib told by
a very loyal groundskeeper.
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Things
to See and do in Columbia |
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Amusement
Parks |
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Saluda
Shoals Park - home of the Saluda Splash. Here
you can go horseback riding or rent a canoe or kayak. Within its boundaries
is an Environmental Education Center and here you can participate in Charley's
Backyard Treasure Hunt. It's located at 5605 Bush River Road, Columbia,
SC, 29212. All of us kids love this place - regardless of our ages! |
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Frankie's
Fun Park, located at 140 Parkridge Drive in Columbia
has go karts, a road course, bumper boats and a rock-climbing wall among
many other attractions. Here a child will be solidly entertained for the
course of his or her visit. |
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Historical
Sites, Museums and Outdoor Activities |
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The Riverbanks
Zoo and Garden - Read about the River
Venture, a trip down the Saluda and Congaree Rivers and see the very
old ruins of factories that once operated in the area. |
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The South Carolina Aviation Hall of
Fame
The South Carolina's
Governor's Mansion
The South Carolina State Museum
The Criminal
Justice Hall of Fame
The South
Carolina State House
Explore the scenic Middle
Saluda River or the scenic Broad
River.
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©Copyright 2007 Wilson Jay
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