Lost Aiken County by
From a home to the fierce Westo tribe to a hub of the equestrian industry, Aiken County has had a huge influence on South Carolina. And some of the structures that mark that history have disappeared. More than two hundred years ago, the Horse Creek Chickasaw Squirrel King held court near North Augusta. The first locomotive built for public transportation, the "Best Friend" from Charleston to Hamburg, first ran in the area. The home of noted businessman Richard Flint Howe hosted both the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and students of the University of South Carolina Aiken. William Gregg and the Graniteville Mill helped shape the textile industry in the state. Author Alexia Jones Helsley details the lost history of Aiken County.
Columbia, South Carolina: A History by
Columbia sits on hills overlooking the Congaree, Saluda and Broad Rivers. The name evokes sanctuary and the American spirit. Its central location in the state makes it the meeting place of the Upstate and the Lowcountry. The all-American city sprang from wilderness, frame buildings and unpaved streets and valiantly responded to the challenges of change. The city was created by the legislature to be the capital and reflects the "ambitions and fortunes" of South Carolina. Columbia is a diverse city that serves as an educational incubator, a magnet for immigrants, a military center and a place to celebrate the arts. Follow author Alexia Jones Helsley as she weaves together the strands of Columbia's long and eventful past.
Wicked Beaufort by
Beaufort's long history of wickedness stretches back to 1562, when Captain Jean Ribaut built the ill-fated French outpost Charlesfort on Parris Island, eventually destroyed by mutiny and starvation. Colonial Beaufortonians were no strangers to thwarting the law, from the murder of Charles Purry to the priestly misbehavior of Reverend William Peaseley. The Revolutionary War brought civil strife to the area in the form of bands of outlaws, and the early Federal years were times for the gentlemanly"? pursuits of drinking, gambling and fighting. Reconstruction brought violence of several varieties as freedmen, carpetbaggers, scalawags and others sought to develop a new order. Join local author Alexia Jones Helsley as she delves into the history of these misbegotten times in Beaufort's history, from the earliest instances of illicit activity through the infamous Beaufort banking scandal of 1926."
South Carolina Suffragists: Catalysts for Change
Join us on Wednesday, October 28 at 3pm for an online ICE event celebrating 100 years of women’s suffrage. Alexia Helsley, senior instructor of history & university archivist, will speak about South Carolina women’s fight for the right to vote, highlighting a number of significant suffragists, including our own Eulalie Salley.
The event will take place online via Blackboard. Below is a link and a QR code to the live event.
Official UofSC Aiken ICE page entry is located here.
Link to the event: https://bit.ly/3oFa6XR
QR Code to the live event.