SOUTH CAROLINA
BASIC FACTS:
Entered the Union --- May 23, 1788 as the 8th state
Capital --- Columbia
Land area, (square miles) --- 30,109.47
Persons per square mile --- 133.2
Population --- 4,479,800
Nickname --- Palmetto state
Flower --- Carolina yellow jessamine
Bird --- Carolina wren
FAMOUS PEOPLE:
Chubby Checker (1941 - ) Best known for his song "The
Twist"; born in Spring Gulley.
Althea Gibson (1927 - ) First African American woman to win
Wimbledon and U.S. National tennis championships; born in
Silver.
Dizzy Gillespie (1917 - 1993) Trumpet player who developed
the bebop jazz style during the 1940s; born in Cheraw.
Andrew Jackson (1767 - 1845) The 7th U.S. president; born in
the Waxhaws area.
Jesse Jackson (1941 - ) Civil rights leader; born in
Greenville.
Joe Frazier (1944 - ) 1964 Olympic heavyweight champion. He
was heavyweight champion from 1970-1973; born in Beaufort.
Francis Marion (1721 - 1795) Known as the "Swamp Fox" for
his strategy of fighting the British during the Revolutionary War;
born in Winyah.
Vanna White (1957 - ) Famous for turning letters on
television?s Wheel of Fortune; born in Conway
FUN FACTS:
-The salamander was given the honor of official state
amphibian.
-The state dance of South Carolina is the Shag!
-The first battle of the Civil War took place at Fort Sumter.
-Duncan Park Baseball Stadium in Spartanburg is the oldest minor
league stadium in the nation.
-Every few years, Irmo has a sighting of some kind of water monster
that inhabits Lake Murray. The monster first ‘surfaced’ in 1973
when residents of Irmo and Ballentine saw a cousin of the Loch Ness
Monster. It was described in The Independent News in 1980 as “a
cross between a snake and something prehistoric.”
-Fountain Inn is proud of the town’s most famous native son.
Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates lost his leg in a cotton gin accident at
the age of 12; he overcame his tragedy to become a famous dancer.
His signature step was the “Imitation American Jet Plane,” in which
he would jump five feet in the air and land on his peg leg, with
his good leg sticking out straight behind him. During his career,
Bates performed more than 20 different times on the Ed Sullivan
television show more than any other artist.
-The Upper Whitewater Falls is the highest cascade in eastern
America; it descends for nearly 411 feet.
FUN LAWS:
-Dance halls may not operate on Sundays.
-Horses may not be kept in bathtubs.
-A permit must be obtained to fire a missle.
-When approaching a four way or blind intersection in a non-horse
driven vehicle you must stop 100 ft from the intersection and
discharge a firearm into the air to warn horse traffic.
-Every adult male must bring a rifle to church on Sunday in order
to ward off Indian attacks.
-A person must be eighteen years old to play a pinball machine.
About the cache:I really wanted to put this cache near a
good BBQ place, since the BBQ pork is about 3/4 of the reason I
like South Carolina, but I just couldn't find a spot that suited
me, so instead I put it here. You can get some BBQ chicken, but it
isn't quite the same. Probably because it comes from Kentucky.
I had to change the container in order to place it how I wanted,
hope that doesn't mess anyone up.