A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....01-09-04....South Carolina ~ "Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places"

visualops, dixie sass | Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

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~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine, deadhead ~

Today we have a special treat. Visualops and dixie sass are presenting their beautiful state of South Carolina. And what a great job this team has done! Dixie sass contributed the research and the text; visualops the photos, the tribute to South Carolina's fallen heroes, and the over-all design. I had the easy part, I simply added a border and posted it this morning.

I think, after you have toured our featured state with our Fine FR ambassadors and tour guides, you will agree with me.....there is something very special about South Carolina.

A Finest salute to visualops and dixie sass for this excellent introduction to South Carolina, and to all 201 FReepers who hail from this beautiful state.

South Carolina - doesn't it just sing when you say it? South Carolina - smiling faces and beautiful places! How true - from the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to the Atlantic Coast.

How do I begin to tell you about our beautiful state, one of the original 13 colonies? Well, lets see...

SC Revolutionary Flag	SC State Flag

I know, our State Flag and State Pledge: "I salute the flag of South Carolina and pledge to the Palmetto State love, loyalty and faith."

The history of the flag goes back to 1765 - pre-revolutionary days. If you were around in 1765, you might have seen a flag with three white crescents on a blue background carried by the SC protestors of the Stamp Act. When Colonel Moultrie was asked to design the flag he chose two components from the uniforms of the militia - the blue and silver crescent the soldiers wore on their caps. At the time of Civil War a new banner was created to fly over the newly created nation. Only one change was made and that was to add the Palmetto Tree which was instrumental in the defense of Sullivan Island by Colonel Moultrie against the British warships in 1776. The Cannonballs that were fired from these ships couldn't destroy the walls the fort which were built of the Palmetto logs. The cannonballs sank in the soft, tough wood of the Palmetto. The South Carolina flag with that one addition has flown over this state since 1765.

Our state Flower is the Night Blooming Jessamine	Our state Dog is the Boykin Spaniel

Our state Bird is the Carolina Wren	Our state Tree is the Palmetto

Our state Dance is the Shag .
Our state songs are "Carolina" and "South Carolina on My Mind".
Our state Tartan (yes, we have one because of the many Highland Scots
and Ulster Scots that settled here) , isn't it pretty? This is the Carolina Tartan!



And of course, being the good wholesome folk that we are our state beverage is MILK!!!

We have three major rivers, Savannah, Edisto and the Santee. We also have two rivers, the Ashley and Cooper, that come together in Charleston Harbor to create the Atlantic Ocean!

South Carolina has four major lakes, Hartwell, Marion, Moultrie and Murray. The highest point in the state is Sassafras Mountain - 3,560 feet (1,085 m) above sea level.

Although North Carolinians try to claim him, we know that Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States, was born in Waxhaw, South Carolina on March 15th, 1767.

---

South Carolina has many "firsts". Here are just a few, both good and bad:

First European Settlement - 1526 - San Miguel de Gualdape thought to be close to present day Georgetown. The settlement failed due to famine, disease and unrest among the black and Indian populations. Only 150 of the original 600 settlers returned to Santo Domingo.
First slave revolt - November of 1526.
First American built ship to cross the Atlantic - 1563 - French Huguenot settlers built a makeshift vessel and sailed from Port Royal for France after being left behind in Charlesfort by their leader. (We would eventually see a large influx of French Huguenots into the Charleston area)
First public library-1700
First professional female artist -1707
First Opera performed - 1735 - Colley Cibber's ballad opera Flora, or Hob in the Well.
First Fire Insurance Company - 1736
First building constructed solely for use as a theater - 1736
First systematic, scientific recording of weather information - 1737
First major slave insurrection - 1739
First musical society - 1762
First cotton exported to England - 1764
First public museum (still in operation) - 1773
First black Baptist Church - 1773
Oldest municipal Chamber of Commerce in continuous operation - 1773
First business publication - 1774
First independent government in the colonies - 1776 - Four months before the Declaration of Independence was signed, South Carolina adopted a state constitution - drafted by a Provincial Congress and elected John Rutledge as the states president and Henry Laurens as the vice-president, titles which were later changed to Governor and Lieutenant Governor by the Constitution of 1779
First major Naval battle of the Revolutionary War - 1776
First treaty between two US states - 1777
First eminent architect born in America - 1781
First golf club - 1786
First cotton mill - 1789
First ice transported commercially - 1799
First tea planted - 1802 (and is still grown in the low country)
First fireproof building - 1823
First Reform Jewish Congregation - 1824
First regularly scheduled rail passenger service - 1830
First municipal college - 1836
First trial in a worker's compensation lawsuit - 1838
First building to be used solely as a college library - 1840
First American Opera written was by George Gershwin and it was set in Charleston on Catfish Row - 1934. It was based on a book by Dubose Heyward.
Read more about it HERE.

---

South Carolina has every sport imaginable for you sports fans, from professional and college football and basketball, to semi-pro teams of all kinds, hockey, soccer, baseball, Polo and horse racing, etc. The winningest high school football coach in history with over 500 hundred wins in his career at the helm of the mighty Green Wave of Summerville High School: John McKissick.

We have the finest Military College in the south - the Citadel - the first to admit women, albeit under a cloud. A top medical college in the Medical University of South Carolina. We have the University of South Carolina, Vorhees College, Teachers College, Presbyterian College, Newberry College, College of Charleston, you want to learn it, there is a school to teach you.

Our men are handsome and gentlemen and our women are beautiful and ladies.

We have everything from ocean to mountains, a old capital city, Charleston, with it's wealth of history to the new capital city, Columbia, with it midlands beauty to the Spartanburg-Greenville area with it's foot in modern commerce, to Aiken situated in the beautiful horse country.

Angel Oak(on John's Island) is perhaps the oldest live oak at 1400 years plus, and the canopy of Angel Oak produces 17,000 square feet of shade!	Golden Creek Mill in Easley

Downtown Greenville with the flag that's been there since 9-11

In Charleston we live and die by the bells of St. Michaels which presides over the "Four Corners of Law" - ecclesiastical, federal, state and county/city.

We have S.O.B's in Charleston - oh wait, it's not what you think! It means someone who lives "South of Broad".

Rainbow Row, Charleston, South of Broad St.

 We have the international arts festival Spoleto, with everything from children's theatre to jazz.

We have the Hunley!

We have several distinct areas - the Low Country, the Midlands,
the PeeDee, the Sand Hills and the rest of the state.

Beaufort	Campbell's Covered Bridge

Columbia, the state capital

Actually, everything is the "Up-Country or the Low Country".
Beautiful swamps, marshes and forests. Beautiful weather.

Cypress Gardens	Shem Creek shrimp boats

Golf at Hilton Head Island

We have suffered through hurricanes, tornadoes and the great earthquake of 1886. The earthquake almost accomplished what Sherman couldn't. We came back twice as strong and twice as determined to move forward and make our state great.

We have representatives from all services here, Air Force, Marine, Navy and Coast Guard. We are proud of our training facilities at Fort Jackson and Parris Island.

We have given more of our men and women to protecting this country than any other state. We have fought in every war since the beginning.

South Carolina continues to give her sons and daughters
to the service of their country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. God
rest the souls and comfort the families of these brave men
and women who have given their lives for the cause of freedom.

	Capt. Kimberly Hampton, 27 Easley, SC 82nd Airborne Division
	Staff Sgt. Patrick Lee Griffin, Jr., 31 Elgin, SC 728th Air Control Squadron
	Spc. Rian C. Ferguson, 22 Taylors, SC Regimental Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
	Capt. Josh Byers, 29 Anderson, SC  Army ranger and paratrooper was a company commander in the 3rd Cavalry Regiment
	Sgt. George Edward Buggs, 31 Barnwell, SC 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, GA
	Pfc. Michael Scott Adams, 20 Spartanburg, SC Loader on an M1A1 Abrams tank assigned to 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 1st Armor Division
	Pvt. Algernon Adams, 26 Aiken, SC 122nd Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard
	Pvt. Nolen R. Hutchings, 19 Boiling Springs, SC 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, NC
	Spc. Darius T. Jennings, 22 Cordova, SC 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
	Pfc. Vorn J. Mack, 19 Orangeburg, SC 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
	Staff Sgt. Paul M. Neff II, 30 Fort Mill, SC 5th Battalion, 101st Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
	Spc. Orenthial J. Smith, 21 Allendale, SC Company A, 123rd Main Support Battalion
	Sgt. Anthony O. Thompson, 26 Branchville, SC Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery
	Lance Cpl. Joshua Daniel Speer, 20 Slater-Marietta, SC Marine Corps (Killed in a car wreck one week after returning home from Iraq)

If you look at South Carolina you will see a History of America. From the first Indian Agent in the 1500's to the late great Senator Thurmond. If you look anywhere in history you will find a South Carolinian, from Fort Moultrie to the Alamo - Col Travers who was from the sea islands of South Carolina.

Andrew Jackson's vice president was another South Carolinian, John C. Calhoun. Strom Thurmond like John C. Calhoun was an American statesman and political philosopher. Calhoun served until his death in these offices - congressman, secretary of war, Vice President, senator, secretary of state and again as senator. Calhoun resigned as Vice President to serve in the senate again because of the nullification problem that was facing the country and the conflict over slavery. Thurmond, like Calhoun was loyal to his Nation, to his state and above all to his principles. Thurmond like Calhoun served at a troubled time in our history.
 

Robert Smalls, a slave whose knowledge of Low Country waters aided the Union forces, eventually served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, after serving 5 terms in state government.

I have included here snipped excerpts from an essay of his from North American Review (1890). I'm sure FReepers will get a sense of deja vu!

"In South Carolina there is neither a free ballot nor an honest count, and since the election in 1874 the history of elections in the State is the history of a continued series of murders, outrages, perjury and fraud... 

...Having perfect immunity from punishment, the encouragement, if not the active participation, of the State government, and the protection of the courts of the State, the rifle clubs committed their outrages without restraint, and the election officers their frauds without even the thin veneer of attempted concealment. Elections since then have been carried by perjury and fraud – two things worshipped and adored by the South Carolina Democracy... 

...Many apologists for the rule of the minority in South Carolina assert that the negro votes the Democratic ticket, and that to form a majority from the census giving the entire vote to the Republican party is erroneous. There are colored men who vote the Democratic ticket, and I suppose that there are Irishmen in Ireland who act with the Tories of England...  

....All persons desiring to vote the Democratic ticket are registered without personal application, and certificates are furnished them either before or on the day of election without even the formality of an oath as to eligibility. Registration the fountain-source of election, curtails Republican suffrage by the expense and inconvenience it entails upon persons not living at the county-seat, by refusal through willful neglect to register Republicans, and by fraud of the supervisor in making false entries; it adds to the Democratic vote through his fraud in unlawfully adding to the names on the registration-books those of all persons who are expected to vote the Democratic ticket....  

....At a neighboring poll another scene is enacted. The polls are open, the boxes shown, the voters deposit their ballots, there is general levity, and everything appears to be fair. There are three hundred Republican voters; the Democracy have secured forty or fifty votes, and the polls close. The votes are counted; there are two or three hundred more ballots than names on the poll-list; instead of fifty Democratic ballots there are three hundred and fifty..."

You guessed it, Robert Smalls was a Republican!

More images of South Carolina...

Governor's Mansion	The famous Gaffney "Peachoid" We call it the "Big Butt"!

Hard Rock Cafe, Myrtle Beach

See the Yorktown, the submarine Clamagore, the destroyer Laffey, Coast Guard cutter Ingham and the Medal of Honor museum. Vintage military aircraft are on display at Patriot's Point as well as weapons and living and working areas of ships.

Oh yes, one more thing...we also have LadyX!

 

WE HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS LITTLE TOUR OF SOUTH CAROLINA!!

 

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 01-05-04...Military Monday 01-06-04...And the Good News Is... 01-07-04...Our Whitehouse Pets... the exclusive interview... 01-08-04...John's Two Cents... By JohnHuang2

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[N. Theknow]

You are so beautiful,
You're such a sight to see,
You're the girl for me.

You could make a blind man see
You could make a cripple man walk
You could make the quietest man in the world talk.

Every little boy in town
Wants to get his arms around
You, you, you, you, for no on else will do but You.

Well, should I go to the package store and get some 180 proof grain alcohol, grape juice, marachino cherries and mix up some PJ?

Reason they call it PJ is that it's short for Purple Jesus.

It's purple from the grape juice and the first sip of it you say, "JESUS!"

When you finish the gallon jug you eat the cherries and get really blotto. We're talking carpet burns on the tongue!

[dixie sass]

OH!!!!!!! How beautiful! Have you ever been to the fountain at sunrise? The last time I was downtown was about a year ago and it was in the summer and hot! The children were playing in the fountain and having such a good time. I close my eyes and almost hear them.

[visualops]

The Citadel, Charleston, SC

A trip down memory lane for N. Theknow :^)

[Mama_Bear]

"BEWARE of a drink called PJ!"

Boy-howdy! I know of this drink too! It was at all the college parties in Santa Barbara when my husband and I were there. I wouldn't have missed those days for anything, but I am long since past that kind of partying. Now I am content with ONE Margarita or a safe little glass of White Zinfandel. LOL

[dixie sass]

lol, Well, it is Friday and I have my dancing shoes on ... "I love beach music"!

The guys can help with the PJ, I'm trying to round up the music. I've called all of the people I know and they are ready to party!

[Kudsman]

Why thank you very much. I will bookmark this thread to make sure and take you up on your offer of hospitality someday. :-)

[dixie sass]

See what you are missing?

[MeekOneGOP]

hehe ! okay ! :O)

[N. Theknow]

Thanks for the visual of Padgett-Thomas Barracks - The Second Battalion and centerpiece of The Citadel - Home of the duckbutts.

The Citadel used to have its Cadets arranged by height. The taller Cadets were in the First and Fourth Battalions and the shorter Cadets (duckbutts) were in the Second and Third Battalions. That way whenever you stood in the middle of the parade ground on Friday afternoons or special Corps weekends and looked left and right all the Cadets appeared to be the same height.

Thus First and Fourth Battalions were mostly inhabited by jocks and Second and Third by Chemistry majors. Although they had some feisty little devils in there that were on the wrestling team and also on the rifle team.

These barracks were also where Cadets walked off penalty tours in the Uniform of the Day with their M-1 (9.1 lbs.) rifles. Graduation week was always a nightmare as you could not graduate with confinements or tours on your record so marathon tours of the "Quad and Gun Club" were walked prior to getting diplomas.

The Citadel - A Great place to be from but a Hell of a place to be.

[dixie sass]

Checkerboard square! lol! What were your thought, N, about women being admitted to the Citadel? I thought and still do that it was wrong.

[Kudsman]

Absolutely beautiful. You have a wonderful talent. At first (and second) look I found myself watching the water fall down the fountain in your picture. Brava.

[LadyX]

Delighted to report The Castle now has heat, and M'Lady is warm and snug...thanks for the use of the fireplace, Meekie!

Freezie, thanks for the Pass from your stash, and the $200 I collected as I passed Go...:)
Johnny Mac, you were supposed to issue the vital "ally-ally-in-come-free" call so I could safely enter the Finest Room!

Dixie and visualops, you did a wonderful job of getting a handle on so varied and complex state ours is, and of course Mama_Bear created the perfect border and background for it all.

Although I was reared in Florida, my mother saw to it my South Carolina heritage was conveyed, and all the things attendant thereunto, as a proper Southern girl. Through the records in her father's Bible (he was a minister, as was his father and father-in-law), I came to appreciate his lineage all the way back to the 1600's in the state, and before that in England and Scotland.

It was fascinating to read, too, of the French Huguenot forebears who fled oppression in Europe and settled around Georgetown, and of English Landgrave Thomas Smith, deeded a 48,000-acre grant from King George in 1691.

It was my understanding he was granted even more such landgraves, and was a successful merchant with a house on the river in Charles Town, as it was first named.
He was active in local politics (later becoming a Governor of the state), was the town surgeon, and a planter.
After the death of his wife, he married the widow of the Dutch builder of Medway Plantation west of the town, where much of the brick was made that built the city.

In 1968, I lived 6 miles from Medway, and visited there on a Spring Plantation Tour of the several counties in the area.

Another forebear, George Long, was in the first census of America (1790, I think it was) as having a plantation in Georgetown. Another one belonged to the Skinners near Murrell's Inlet, my grandfather's mother born on it. It later was incorporated with 3 other plantations to create Brookgreen Gardens, with the largest display of outdoor sculpture in America.

My grandfather lived all over the state with various church assignments, including Charleston (my mother was 17 there when WWI ended, and they all streamed out onto The Battery to celebrate) and Columbia.

In addition to visiting my relatives growing up, I lived later at Parris Island, Port Royal, Columbia, Myrtle Beach (taught school there the year my husband was in Southeast Asia), Hanahan (near Charleston) and here in Barnwell, near the Savannah River site on the west side.
I also spent 8 weeks at a summer camp in your end of the state, visualops, at Camp Jocassee, the summer I was 9.

Those who have not been to the state will perhaps benefit most from seeing the unique city of Charleston and environs (in particular, the lovely gardens), and perhaps the Hilton Head area.

Dixie and visualops can attest to the fact Charleston is a whole different world, with THE most courteous and polite and utterly charming men on the planet!! Walking along the downtown streets is an experience in itself, always yielding direct eye contact and smiles and glances and half-bows of respect...great for any woman to experience!

CAUTION - do not stop at South of The Border!!
LOL

[Mama_Bear]

There you are!! Glad to know you are toasty warm now.

Thanks for the additional information on SC through your eyes. Dixie, visualops and N.Theknow have me convinced that I need to visit South Carolina.

Someday I shall get back there. I have a niece in Charlotte who has been insisting that we come for a visit. Maybe we can do that and take a side-trip down to Charleston. I would love to see the historic parts of the city.

[N. Theknow]

Checkerboard square! lol! What were your thought, N, about women being admitted to the Citadel? I thought and still do that it was wrong.

You learn to hate the checkerboards very early as a Cadet.

Freshmen, aka "knob, smackhead, doowilly, maggot, load, tool and other names your Mom never used, were sometimes used as chess/checkers men by the Seniors. I always hated checkers as you had to leapfrog other men and it was really tough when you had been kinged.

As for women at The Citadel...my oldest daughter was looking at colleges at the same time the Shannon Faulkner fiasco was in the news.

When someone would ask her if she was considering going to her Father's alma mater her reply was quite gratifying.

"Why should I give up the very best thing about being a woman to go through the very worst thing about being a man?"

Both daughters are Columbia College alumna.

Father/Daughter dances there were great with Beach Music and The Shag! Their Freshmen year they saw the dance and heard the music and asked, "What is that, I like it?" I replied, "It's your heritage."

[visualops]

I was living in Charleston when the whole business with that silly girl getting into the Citadel. It was ridiculous, especially since she wasn't even serious, and washed out.
On the hand, I do remember some other girl, from a military family, who, IIRC, was quite the marksman. I don't remember if she wanted to go to the Citadel, or if that was the VMI case.

[dutchess]

What a wonderful thread you three created today. Sorry I couldn't be here earlier...work called and then 'puter problems...A round of applause for you all!

Dixie and Visualops...On a more somber note...it was very touching to remind us of the men and women we have lost from your great state defending our country. Thank you. I hope their families are comforted that they did not die in vain...

[visualops]

Thanks!

[N. Theknow]

YOU HAVE MAIL!

[visualops]

(better late than never lol)
I missed most of the thread today between work and errands etc etc. Soon I'll be off again, hubby has a gig tonight and I've got to try and get a decent pic of him and the other rednecks(lol) for the band promo-pack.


The tribute was dixie's idea, started off thinking about that helicopter pilot, and ended up including everyone.

[dutchess]

Early in our marriage we did the Myrtle Beach golf and party thing....I don't remember what year but we were evacuated twice in one week for Hurricane Diana...The first time we drove inland to some little boring town...that had the nicest kindest people...and great "downhome" food..

We returned to MB and a day later were evacuated in the middle of the night and went to Charlston (now we get there about 7:00 a.m. but found a great hotel that checked us in then...slept a ton and toured the city later) I LOVED the city and have always wanted to go back. Went through the big aircraft carrier (AWESOME...a city in and of itself)...also we through the submarine there (HAVE PROFOUND RESPECT FOR THOSE WHO LIVED LIKE THAT!)

Have always wanted to return to S. Carolina. Am bookmarking this as you have given us a reason. THANKS!