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Walter Edgar introduces our speaker, Dr. Rodger Stroup, retired Director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
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Dr. Rodger Stroup, retired Director of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, is taking a deep dive into the history of the South Carolina State Fair, doing research for an upcoming...
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The fairs of yester-year were far different from the fairs we know today. Dr. Stroup discusses what fairs were like before The Civil War. In this time period, fairs were held locally, and each county...
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Today, a private board of trustees runs the SC State Fair. Walter Edgar recalls his younger years, and remembers the “girly shows” at the SC State Fair, which discontinued around 1975. The last of the...
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In this segment, Dr. Stroup discusses the development of the “modern” State Fair, starting in 1869. Starting in 1869, we see the growth of fairs showcasing both agricultural and industrial aspects...
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In the early 20th century, the Carolina Ball was still a prominent event during the State Fair. There was a State Fair every year since 1869, except for 1918, because of the Influenza Epidemic...
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With the integration of Jim Crow laws in the 1890’s, there was the integration of the “Colored State Fair.” Dr. Stroup discusses the history of the “Colored State Fairs”, and how different factions...
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Alfred Hutty (1877-1954) first came to Charleston in 1919, and the city and the people in it became an important subject for his art. This portrait of "Maum Anne" has caught the dignity of this...
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The William Cooper family of Williamsburg County, photographed outside their home near Hemingway. A tobacco farmer, William "Yankee" Cooper owned about a hundred acres of land on which he supported...
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The unidentified woman in this portrait had her photo made in two ways: with her maid's uniform, and with her jewelry. She illustrates well the two separate roles that many African-American women...