The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, located at 122 E. Bay Street, is a Charleston landmark built in 1771 as a commercial exchange and customs house. During the American Revolution, tea confiscated by the British was stored here. After the British captured the city in 1780, it was a barracks, and the basement served as…
The Poor Houses in South Carolina
In the 19th and 20th centuries, some counties in South Carolina established poor houses as places where paupers were sent to live. Often, they were elderly or disabled people in the community who had nowhere else to turn. Usually, a Poor House was accompanied by a Poor House Farm, where the able-bodied worked until they…
The Rose Hill Plantation
Built between 1828 and 1832, the beautiful Rose Hill Plantation is a historic site in Union County, South Carolina. Nestled along the Tyger River. Rose Hill Plantation served as the South Carolina Governor’s mansion during William Henry Gist’s (1807-1874) time in office from 1858 through 1860. The home offers insight into the upcountry cotton plantation…
The South Carolina Tornado from HELL
A tornado that stays on the ground for 135 miles sounds like something from a horror movie or the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz. But that nightmare became a reality on April 30, 1924. The Horrell Hill Tornado is considered one of the worst disasters and the longest in the state’s history. The disastrous…
Historic 2015 South Carolina Flood
This historic storm had a significant impact on the lower part of the state, including Columbia. The major flood event consisted of a four- to five-day stretch of on-and-off heavy rainfall in early October 2015. It started with an early-season cold front, which stalled off the coast after pushing through the southeast. While Hurricane Joaquin…
2024 Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the contiguous United States since Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The storm caused at least 248 deaths, with 175 of those deaths directly related to this massive storm, whether by wind, flood, or other immediate impacts, and racked up almost $80 billion in damages. Helene has officially…
The 1946 Greenville Ideal Laundry Explosion
On November 19, 1946, one of the worst accidents occurred in the history of South Carolina, which left four to six people deceased, with another hundred to a hundred fifty injured. Around 6:00 PM, 3,500 gallons of propane exploded at Ideal Laundry and Cleaners in Greenville. The blast was felt as far away as Gaffney…
Is Union County, South Carolina, Sitting on Civil War Treasure
Down Highway 49, past Monarch, near Browns Creek Baptist Church, sits a swamp and plenty of pasture land. The highway once served as a former stagecoach route that connected Union to Charlotte. After the Civil War ended, the Union army entered the Upstate, pulling wagons and distributing food to the local population. A German man…
The Great Depression, Public Enemies, and the Number One “G-Man”
Many may be shocked to learn that the person who was responsible for bringing down more public enemies was Melvin Purvis from South Carolina. Purvis was born in 1903 in the small town of Timmonsville, South Carolina. He graduated from the University of South Carolina’s law school in 1925 and passed the bar. After 20…
The 1923 Cleveland School Fire
The Cleveland School Fire occurred in May 1923 near Camden, South Carolina. It is one of the deadliest school fires in American history, killing 77 people during a school play. The incident should have never happened, as the school was set to close permanently after the 1923 school year. The two-story school, which employed only…