South Carolina Trivia & Tidbits

Looking for South Carolina trivia? Try our list South Carolina little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—In 1844, "The Bluffton Movement," a protest by planters against federal taxes, birthed the secession movement, which led South Carolina to become the first state to leave the Union. Planters met under what became known as the "Secession Oak" in Bluffton (pop. 1,275) to voice their discontent.

first appeared: 6/14/2009

—In the 1930s, Willie Lee Buffington, a poor white mill worker from Saluda (pop. 3,066), started the Faith Cabin Library movement to bring books to blacks. He helped start more than 100 libraries with donated books sent from across the United States.

first appeared: 5/31/2009

—The state's official snack food is boiled peanuts. Unroasted peanuts are boiled in heavy salt water for several hours and are sold at stores and roadside stands.

first appeared: 5/17/2009

—In 1995, Shannon Faulkner of Powderville (pop. 5,362) became the first female cadet to be admitted to the The Citadel, an all-male military academy in Charleston, after a successful court challenge.

first appeared: 5/3/2009

–The state's first intercollegiate football game was played on Dec. 14, 1889, between Wofford College in Spartanburg (pop. 39,673) and Furman University in Greenville (pop. 56,002), at Spartanburg.

first appeared: 4/19/2009

—In 1891, John F. North was among settlers who donated land for a railroad depot and town. The town-North (pop. 813), South Carolina-is named after him.

first appeared: 4/5/2009

—The first rice to be grown commercially in the state in more than 100 years is Carolina Plantation Rice, grown at Plumfield Plantation, near Darlington (pop. 6,720). Campbell Coxe reintroduced the crop in 1996.

first appeared: 3/22/2009

One of the most important collections of European sacred art in America, along with items dating from biblical times, is housed at Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery in Greenville (pop. 56,002).

first appeared: 3/8/2009

—Football tailgating parties at the University of South Carolina in Columbia are upscale on the Cockaboose Railroad, which consists of 22 cabooses parked on a railroad spur outside Williams-Brice Stadium. The “cockabooses,” which were sold for $40,000 each in 1990, have been lavishly decorated by owners and Gamecocks fans.

first appeared: 2/22/2009

—William Carney was the first black soldier to receive the Medal of Honor. He received the award for heroic actions during the Civil War on July 18, 1863, at Fort Wagner.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

—In September, for the first time since 1964, the state allowed the public to hunt alligators. The state’s gator population has remained fairly stable at about 100,000, but development has meant the large reptiles increasingly encounter people.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—Owls, hawks, kestrels and other raptors provide flight demonstrations for visitors at the Avian Conservation Center and Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw (pop. 1,195). The center was the inspiration for the novel Skyward by best-selling author Mary Alice Monroe.

first appeared: 12/29/2008

—The Old Slave Mart in Charleston is believed to be the state’s only building in existence that was used for slave auctions. The 1859 building today is a museum.

first appeared: 11/30/2008

—Movies and meals star at the Capitol Theater and Cafe, a movie theater that opened for the first time in 1926, in downtown Laurens (pop. 9,916). Owners Ronnie and Debbie Campbell revived the building, and reopened the theater last year.

first appeared: 11/16/2008

—One of the state’s oldest surviving gristmills still producing grain products is the 1845 Hagood Mill near Pickens (pop. 3,012). The mill has a 20-foot overshoot wooden waterwheel.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

—Rock ’n’ roll music is the theme of Hard Rock Park, a $400- million theme park that opened in the spring in Myrtle Beach (pop. 22,759) and includes attractions such as The Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane” roller coaster.

first appeared: 10/19/2008

—The only revolving restaurant on a university campus is Top of Carolina at the Capstone House, an 18-story residence hall at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

—W.C. “Corky” Taylor of Spartanburg (pop. 39,673) landed a spot in the state record book when he hooked an 881.8-pound blue marlin in 2005 while fishing in the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series tournament.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

—Horse breeders are trying to save the native marsh tacky horse, whose ancestors were left by colonial Spanish explorers. The animals have a reputation for being workhorses suited for toiling long hours in swamps and humidity.

first appeared: 9/7/2008

—Since 1985, live lobster races have been held each May in Aiken (pop. 25,337). The crustaceous competitors race—or crawl—their way to the finish line in a long water-filled tank.

first appeared: 8/24/2008

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