South Carolina Story

Item #2057

Special Commission

(September, 1995) South Carolina was named for King Charles I of England in 1629. Today history is still as much a part of this state as its sunny weather and beautiful scenery. My Woodspirit resembles Wade Hampton, a name many will recognize from the pages of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. He was a Civil War leader and governor of South Carolina, and worked towards fair government and black rights. My little fellow stands by a horn of plenty decorated with a map of the 8th state. Spilling from the state’s horn of plenty are items that represent many of the good things of South Carolina: a peach pit for its wonderful peaches, a pecan, spools of thread (South Carolina is one of the leading states in the manufacture of textiles), a golf ball and sea shells for the beautiful places that attract tourists, a cotton boll, a toy car for Darlington Speedway, and a rolling pin – for South Carolina’s good Southern food and great cooks. The military is important to this state’s economy, and many soldiers and marines spend some time at Fort Jackson or Parris Island. The football rivalries are legendary, and I’ve included ribbons for both the Clemson Tigers (orange and purple) and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks (garnet and black). Many visitors take home a handwoven basket from the low country, while others enjoy the Governor’s Annual Frog Jumping Contest in Springfield. The small sword is pointing towards a cannon ball, in memory of the first shot fired in the Civil War, at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861. The coins proclaim that the Palmetto State joined the Union on May 23, 1788, and show the Carolina jessamine, the state flower, while the farthing displays the state bird, the wren. Come south – to South Carolina, for both history and hospitality.

Dr. Thomas F. Clark