Business and Industry

In South Carolina, the Alliance movement “swept over our state like a wave” in the late 1880s, first appearing in the Pee Dee region.

Whereas Charleston banking institutions had traditionally favored conservatively styled buildings, the directors of the Farmers’ and Exchange Bank made a radical departure in introducing the city to the most flamboyant of the nineteenth-century exotic revivals.

Although the association’s early rhetoric claimed that it was separate from the Democratic Party, it quickly became a means for Tillman to preempt the party’s movements.

Because the activities of a feme sole trader could deprive the husband of services that marriage entitled him to, his consent was required, as was his agreement not to meddle in her business dealings.

In 1974 Finlay was elected to the Columbia City Council, and in 1978 he was elected mayor, serving until 1986. During his service to the city, Finlay developed civic projects that greatly enhanced the appearance and quality of life in Columbia.

One of Finney’s most notable defenses was on behalf of nine students in Rock Hill in 1961 who staged one of the first sit-ins in South Carolina.

With the arrival of Europeans, natives created the first commercial fisheries, trading seafood for firearms and clothing.

The progressive reputation of Florence earned it All-American status in 1966, and the population exceeded 25,000 by 1970.

Although the county’s economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, Florence was home to several industries as early as the 1890s.

At the heart of the cooking are the foods that grow well in the state, supplemented by wild fish and game.

Football at USC and Clemson has become a big business enterprise, with each program having annual budgets that reach into the millions of dollars.

Forest Acres flourished as a bedroom community to Columbia and soon posted one of the highest per capita income levels in the state.

By the end of the twentieth century, Fort Jackson was the army’s largest training post for new soldiers.

Fort Mill had become a popular bedroom community by the late 1980s, and industry and residential growth continued to fuel the community through the 1990s.

For most of its history, Fort Moore served as the province’s major Indian trading center for deerskins and other animal hides.

Other textile mills followed, but Fountain Inn remained primarily a commercial hub for nearby farmers. Twentieth-century transportation developments reinforced Fountain Inn’s prosperity, as the town straddled what emerged as a major north-south highway in the upstate.

Freemasonry in South Carolina dates to 1735, when Lord Weymouth, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England, issued a warrant establishing the office of Provincial Grand Master in the colony of South Carolina.

He became secretary of state in 1787 and retained the position until 1795. Freneau also operated a variety of business interests, including land speculation and shipping. By the early 1800s he owned shipping vessels, which he engaged for some years in the Madeira trade. Earlier in his shipping career, he had taken part in the sale of at least one slave cargo.

While Gadsden’s zealous and suspicious personality was ideal for organizing American resistance, it was counterproductive in the post-1776 political structure. In 1777 he impulsively resigned his commission as brigadier general over a petty dispute with General Robert Howe.

Largely because of its proximity to the railroad, the town initially experienced rapid growth.