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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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The Columns, also known as the Rankin or Johnson House, was built near Florence by Dr. William R. Johnson around 1850-60. The full-façade porch of its Classical Revival architecture represents a style...
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The Godfrey Harmon House, built in Lexington around 1870 by the founder of the Lexington "Dispatch," burned in 1894. The square columns are an interesting adaptation of a vernacular Greek Revival...
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The interior of the Darlington Fire Department, around 1960. Courtesy of the Darlington County Historical Commission.
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The student body of Winyah School poses in front of the Winyah Indigo Society Hall, corner of Prince and Cannon Streets in Georgetown, on a warm spring day around 1900. The substantial profits made by...