Community Interest
Columbia’s Curious Lore
With its storied past, rich history, and vibrant arts and culture scene, Columbia is anything but ordinary. In this article, we're diving into interesting facts from Columbia's history that make up the lore of the city.
With its storied past, rich history, and vibrant arts and culture scene, Columbia is anything but ordinary. In this article, we’re diving into interesting facts from Columbia’s history that make up the lore of the city.
- The first textile mill run completely by electricity in the world opened in Columbia in 1894. The last small section still standing of that mill is now part of the South Carolina State Museum.
- Columbia’s Assembly Street was built surprisingly wide in the 18th century, likely to combat mosquitoes.
- The Barringer Building on Main Street was South Carolina’s first skyscraper, completed in the year 1903. It now serves as apartments for downtown living!
- Our very own Town Theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places! It was built just over a century ago in 1924, with their 106th season launching this September.
- Over 70 movies have been filmed in Columbia, including Death Sentence (2007) starring Kevin Bacon and The Program (1993) starring James Caan.
- Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish, met the rest of the band when they were all Gamecock freshmen at the University of South Carolina.
- Columbia wasn’t always the capitol of South Carolina. The capitol was previously Charleston in 1776, but then the state legislature moved it to Columbia in 1786 to be central to the state.
- The South Carolina State House is built primarily out of blue granite, SC’s official state stone, and is completely fireproof.
- The Maxcy Monument in the center of USC’s iconic Horseshoe was designed by none other than Robert Mills, the architect behind the Washington Monument in DC.
- R.L. Bryan Company, local publishing and textbook distributor, is South Carolina’s oldest operating business—beginning in 1844.
- A childhood home of our 28th President, Woodrow Wilson, is still standing in Columbia. The Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home is also the only museum dedicated to showcasing the post-Civil War Reconstruction period in the entire country. P.S. Wilson’s parents are buried at First Presbyterian Church on Lady Street!
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