Richland County lies in the South Carolina midlands. Its county seat, Columbia, also serves as the state capital.
The county was founded in 1785 within the Camden District, and its name most likely refers to the “rich land” of the county. In 1791, Richland County became smaller when land previously belonging to this county was added to Kershaw County.
During the Civil War, Sherman entered Richland County and occupied Columbia before setting it on fire.
Since its founding, Columbia has served as an economic hub for the state, especially in terms of trade and manufacturing. The county is home to Fort Jackson, Congaree National Park, and multiple lakes and rivers. Notable county residents include Senator Wade Hampton and President Woodrow Wilson.
SOURCES: About Richland County.
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A group of school children visited Columbia on Lee-Jackson Day in January around 1910. Dressed in the appropriate colors, they formed the Confederate flag on the steps of the South Carolina State...
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Founded in 1870 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society, Benedict College occupies a twenty-acre campus on Harden Street in Columbia, across Taylor Street from Allen University. As an important...
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Booker T. Washington High School, Class of 1933, seated on the lawn in front of the main entrance to the school. Founded in 1916, the school was, until its closing in 1974, the hub of the separate...
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This grave of an African American is near St. Andrews in Richland County. The African custom of decorating a grave with items that their former owner might need in the spirit world was widespread in...
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State and County Fair competitions were an important way for farmers to exchange information about their crops and livestock. Until the 1960s, separate segregated fairs were held, both in individual...
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This photograph at the State Fair in 1926 shows boys and older men lined up in a calf competition. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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Thomas Taylor (1743-1833) owned the plantation at the top of a hill next to the confluence of the Broad and Saluda Rivers in Richland County that became the site of the city of Columbia in 1786 (see...
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Reverend Sarah H. Smith (1884-1937) was a Baptist preacher who came to Columbia early in the 20th century from Savannah and organized Bethlehem Baptist Church in 1913 by going from house to house. By...
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Modjeska Monteith Simkins (1899-1992) is one of the outstanding civil rights leaders in South Carolina. The oldest of eight children of a bricklayer, she sought education not only for herself, but for...
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World War I brought big business to towns that housed soldiers in military camps. On June 2, 1917 was Camp Jackson established. After 11 days of construction, the first trainees arrived. Owners of...
