The South Carolina State Museum in Columbia boast 70,000 artifacts, but its most unique holding is its venue. The museum is housed in a former textile mill that originally opened in 1894. This mill was the first completely electric textile mill in the world, and it ranks as General Electric’s first major industrial installation. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
t took well over a hundred years, but a park in the heart of downtown Columbia returned full circle to what it had been originally. The park was first dedicated as Sidney Park in 1859 to honor Columbia city councilman Algernon Sidney Johnson. It fell to disuse during the Civil War and then became a site for commercial ventures for decades. In 1990, it was reopened and named Finlay Park to honor former Columbia Mayor Kirkman Finlay. It’s a thriving part of the downtown area today.
Singing in the dorm showers at the University of South Carolina in Columbia led to the formation of the band Hootie and the Blowfish. Mark Bryan was impressed hearing the voice of Darius Rucker echoing from the shower. They were both freshmen at the time. They met two other freshmen, Dean Felber and Jim “Soni” Sonefeld, and formed the band.