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In 1896 Earle defeated the unpopular John Gary Evans for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate in the state’s first direct primary.

The murder of Willie Earle is believed to be the last racial lynching in South Carolina.

In 1942 she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (later Women’s Army Corps or WACs) and entered the first class of African American female officer candidates in July at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.

Often called “earthquake bolts,” these iron reinforcement rods commonly were incorporated into buildings in Charleston and elsewhere before the great earthquake.

According to seismologists, South Carolina is one of the most seismically active states east of the Mississippi River, with most activity taking place in the Charleston-Summerville area.

As with many other towns in South Carolina’s upcountry, the railroad and cotton mills brought dramatic growth to Easley.

This popular butterfly, easy to recognize by its yellow, tiger-striped wings, is often specified as the eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus glaucus) to distinguish it from similar western, Canadian, and Mexican subspecies.

This unique settlement of Lutheran refugees from Salzburg, Austria, was included in the Lutheran Synod of South Carolina until the formation of the Georgia Synod in 1860.

Edelman became active in civil rights as a student at Spelman College. Following the historic sit-in of four black students at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, Edelman and seventy-seven other students were arrested on March 15, 1960, for conducting a sit-in at Atlanta restaurants that served only whites.

Edens, an early supporter of Barry Goldwater for president, reached a high point at the 1964 Republican National Convention when he rose to announce the state delegation’s vote: “I am humbly grateful that we can do this for America. South Carolina casts sixteen votes for Senator Barry Goldwater.”

Anyone who has seen, heard, or read Walter Edgar recognizes his distinctive style, redolent of seersucker suits and his signature bowties and a southern accent that is hard to place but pleasing to the ear.

Edgefield continued to be the district’s focus of political activity during Reconstruction. Rallies were held in the courthouse square, as were information sessions for freedmen.

The newspaper retained its forthright style throughout the twentieth century. William Walton Mims assumed control of the newspaper in 1937, and the staunchly conservative newspaper was not afraid to take unpopular stands on local issues.

Agriculture dominated Edgefield’s economy throughout its history. Early settlers grew grains and raised impressive numbers of cattle and hogs. Staple crops, particularly tobacco, grew in significance by the 1790s.

The term “Edgefield pottery” is used to identify alkaline-glazed stoneware first produced in Edgefield District in the 1810s.

At the time of English colonization, the Edisto Indians were a tribe living between the Savannah and Edisto Rivers.

Edisto Island derives its name from the Edisto Indians, the island’s initial inhabitants (an Indian mound built by the Edistos survives at Edisto Beach State Park).

The gardens have expanded over the years, growing to include diverse plantings and natural areas covering more than 150 acres.

The Edisto River flows through sparsely populated and generally undeveloped forest and cypress-tupelo swamps, and has been nationally recognized for its scenic beauty and ecological value.

For much of the state’s history, education was left principally to families. Nonetheless, while historically the state’s support of schooling has been hesitant, sporadic, and limited, the last two decades of the twentieth century witnessed growing attention to schools.