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StudySC – Know where you live.

Explore South Carolina through StudySC! Learn about your community, South Carolina history, and the people who have made a significant impact on the state and the world.

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Old map of Hilton Head Island.

William Hilton

Hilton Head Island is named after Captain William Hilton, who in 1663 identified a headland near the entrance to Port Royal Sound, which he named “Hilton’s Head” after himself.

Nickolas Ashford wearing a black leather jacket.

Nickolas Ashford

Born in Fairfield, SC, Nickolas Ashford was a singer, songwriter, and producer. Together with his wife, Valerie Simpson, they formed the legendary Motown songwriting-production team, Ashford & Simpson. 

Three David Drake works of pottery on a sideboard.

David Drake

David Drake lived in Edgefield, SC, as a slave and, after the Civil War, as a freedman who made distinctive stoneware pottery, often engraved with short poems or couplets.

Cale Yarborough wearing a tan racing suit. Fans stand in the background behind a wired mesh fence.

Cale Yarborough

William Caleb “Cale” Yarborough is a former NASCAR driver who won the 1976, 1977, and 1978 Winston Cup.

A light brown and cream building with a metal roof and two small brick chimneys

Orangeburg County

Orangeburg County and its county seat, Orangeburg, were named for William IV (1711-1751), Prince of Orange, the son-in-law of King George II.

A dark and light house with a manicured lawn.

Berkeley County

Berkeley County was named for two of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, Lord John Berkeley (d. 1678) and Sir William Berkeley (d. 1677).

a small white house with a half wrap around porch.

Chester County

Chester County and its county seat, the city of Chester, were named for Chester County, Pennsylvania.

A wooden building with a faded sign.

Fairfield County

The origin of Fairfield's name is not known, but local legend attributes it to a remark by Lord Cornwallis about the "fair fields" of the area. The county was formed in 1785 as a part of the Camden District.

South Carolina Facts

South Carolina Government

Capital of South Carolina: Columbia

Governor: Henry McMaster 

Lieutenant Governor: Pamela Evette

Secretary of State: Mark Hammond

Treasurer: Curtis Loftis

Attorney General: Alan Wilson 

U.S. Representatives: Joe Wilson, Tom Rice, Jim Clyburn, Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman, Jeff Duncan, and William Timmons 

U.S. Senators: Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott 

South Carolina Glossary

homes next to a dirt road

industrialization

(noun) - the growth of machine production and the factory system. The process of introducing manufacturing into countries or regions where most of the people are engaged in primary economic activities