Misplaced Pages

#291708

76-703: It is formed in Columbia by the confluence of the Saluda and Broad rivers near the Piedmont Fall Line . It serves as part of the boundary between Richland , Calhoun , and Lexington counties. The only cities near the river are Columbia on the east, and Cayce and West Columbia on the west. Despite the vast bottomland swamp below Columbia, the Congaree is navigable along much of its length at high water by barge traffic. This travels upriver from

152-496: A mass shooting at the Columbiana Centre mall resulted in the injuries of 14 people. 10 were struck by gunfire while four sustained stampede-related injuries. Three men were arrested; Columbia police declared that the shooting was the result of an argument, not a random attack or terrorism . One of Columbia's more prominent geographical features is the fall line, the boundary between the upland Piedmont region and

228-618: A car she believed was her Uber . The driver, Nathaniel Rowland, killed Josephson, sparking laws around the United States to further regulate rideshare companies. In South Carolina, the Samantha L. Josephson Ridesharing Act requires rideshare drivers to display identifying lights and prohibits the misrepresentation of non-rideshare drivers as such. Similar laws passed in New Jersey , North Carolina , and New York State . Rowland

304-532: A city in 1854, with an elected mayor and six aldermen. Two years later, Columbia had a police force consisting of a full-time chief and nine patrolmen. The city continued to grow at a rapid pace, and throughout the 1850s and 1860s, Columbia was the largest inland city in the Carolinas. Railroad transportation served as a significant cause of population expansion in Columbia during this time. Rail lines that reached

380-525: A ferry to connect the fort with the growing European settlements on the higher ground on the east bank. Like many other significant early settlements in colonial America, Columbia is on the fall line of the Piedmont region. The fall line is often marked by rapids at the places where the river cuts sharply down to lower levels in the Tidewater or Low Country of the coastal plain. Beyond the fall line,

456-401: A house at least 30 feet (9.1 m) long and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide within three years, or face an annual 5% penalty. The perimeter streets and two through streets were 150 feet (46 m) wide. The remaining squares were divided by thoroughfares 100 feet (30 m) wide. As the capital and one of the first planned cities in the United States, Columbia began to grow rapidly. Its population

532-444: A morning exercise session had ended. While his fellow trainees were showering, he had taken his army-issued M4 carbine and fled. He eventually made his way onto a school bus carrying 18 children and threatened the driver at gunpoint. He instructed the driver to take him to the nearest town and that he did not want to hurt anyone. After a short while, Collazo became flustered with both the driver and children and allowed everyone to exit

608-833: A new convention center hotel opened in September 2007. A public-private City Center Partnership has been formed to implement the downtown revitalization and boost downtown growth. In 2009, Columbia's most recent skyscraper, the Tower at Main and Gervais, was completed. Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin started his first term in July 2010, elected as the first African-American mayor in the city's history. Founders Park , home of USC baseball, opened in 2009. The South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team won two NCAA national championships in 2010 and in 2011. The 2010 South Carolina Gamecocks football team , under coach Steve Spurrier , earned their first appearance in

684-407: A new state capital. Considerable argument occurred over the name for the new city. According to published accounts, Senator Gervais said he hoped that "in this town we should find refuge under the wings of COLUMBIA ", for that was the name which he wished it to be called. One legislator insisted on the name "Washington", but "Columbia" won by a vote of 11–7 in the state senate. The site was chosen as

760-407: A sea of mud between wooden sidewalks. As an experiment, Washington Street was once paved with wooden blocks. This proved to be the source of much local amusement when they buckled and floated away during heavy rains. The blocks were replaced with asphalt paving in 1925. During the years 1911 and 1912, some $ 2.5 million worth of construction occurred in the city, as investors used revenues generated by

836-460: A significantly higher elevation, which helps to moderate its summer temperatures. Secondly, the city lies in the heart of the Sandhills region. Since the region's soils are more sandy, they contain less water and can warm up more quickly. This explains why usually only the high temperatures and not the low temperatures are much different from across the state. Thirdly, because of its distance from

SECTION 10

#1732772560292

912-479: A specific training event" . As of December 2021 Residents are zoned to Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools for elementary school, and Richland County School District Two for secondary school. The DoDEA schools on-post are Pierce Terrace Elementary School (Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 1) and C.C. Pinckney Elementary School (grades 2–6). Students are zoned to Dent Middle School and Richland Northeast High School , which are operated by

988-637: A training base for the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina Air National Guard . In May 1540, a Spanish expedition led by Hernando de Soto traversed what is now Columbia while moving northward on exploration of the interior of the Southeast. The expedition produced the earliest written historical records of this area, which was part of the regional Cofitachequi chiefdom of the Mississippian culture . During

1064-517: A warehouse district, became an area of art galleries, shops, and restaurants. The Colonial Life Arena (formerly known as the Colonial Center) opened in 2002, and brought several major entertainers and shows to Columbia. EdVenture , the largest children's museum in the Southeast, opened in 2003. The Village at Sandhill shopping center opened in 2004 in northeast Richland County. The Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center opened in 2004, and

1140-432: Is a United States Army installation, which TRADOC operates on for Basic Combat Training (BCT), and is located within the city of Columbia, South Carolina . This installation is named for Andrew Jackson , a United States Army general and the seventh president of the United States (1829–1837) who was born in the border region of North and South Carolina . Fort Jackson was created in 1917 at Camp Jackson as

1216-649: Is largely variable depending on the year. Snow flurries usually do fall at least once during the winter season during its coldest periods. Like much of the southeastern U.S., the city is prone to inversions , which trap ozone and other pollutants over the area. Official extremes in temperature at the main weather station have ranged from 109 °F (43 °C) on June 29 and 30, 2012 down to −2 °F (−19 °C), set on February 14, 1899 . Only one other sub-zero temperature has been recorded in Columbia: −1 °F (−18 °C) on January 21, 1985 . A weather station at

1292-541: Is located roughly halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Blue Ridge Mountains , at an elevation around 292 ft (89 m). Soils in Columbia are well drained in most cases, with grayish brown loamy sand topsoil. The subsoil may be yellowish-red, sandy clay loam (Orangeburg series), yellowish-brown sandy clay loam (Norfolk series), or strong brown sandy clay (Marlboro series). All belong to

1368-655: The Atlantic Coastal Plain , across which rivers drop as falls or rapids. Columbia developed at the fall line of the Congaree River, which is formed by the confluence of the Broad and Saluda rivers. The Congaree was the farthest inland point of river navigation. The energy of falling water also powered Columbia's early mills . The city has capitalized on this location, which includes three rivers, by identifying as "The Columbia Riverbanks Region". Columbia

1444-520: The Atlantic Ocean , it does not receive the same moderating effects of coastal cities like Charleston . Lastly, the city experiences the urban heat island effect, making it significantly warmer than some surrounding towns and cities. Precipitation, at 44.6 inches (1,130 mm) annually, peaks in the summer months largely because of afternoon thunderstorms, and is the least during spring and fall. Snowfall averages 1.5 inches (3.8 cm), but

1520-806: The Congaree River . As the state capital, Columbia is the site of the South Carolina State House , the center of government for the state. In 1860, the South Carolina Secession Convention took place in Columbia; delegates voted for secession, making South Carolina the first state to leave the Union in the events leading up to the Civil War . Columbia is home to the University of South Carolina ,

1596-639: The Lost Cause of the Confederacy narrative. However modern historians have concluded that no one cause led to the burning of Columbia and that Sherman did not order the burning. Rather, the chaotic atmosphere in the city on the occasion of its fall led to the ideal conditions for a fire to start and spread. As a newspaper columnist noted in 1874, "the war burned Columbia." During the Reconstruction era, when African-American Republicans were among

SECTION 20

#1732772560292

1672-647: The Santee Canal . This connected the Santee and Cooper rivers in a 22-mile-long (35 km) section. It was first chartered in 1786 and completed in 1800, making it one of the earliest canals in the United States. With competition later from faster railroad traffic, it ceased operation around 1850. The commissioners designed a town of 400 blocks in a 2-mile (3 km) square along the river. The blocks were divided into lots of 0.5 acres (2,000 m ) and sold to speculators and prospective residents. Buyers had to build

1748-702: The Ultisol soil order. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 140.68 square miles (364.4 km ), of which 137.81 square miles (356.9 km ) is land and 2.87 square miles (7.4 km ) (1.68%) is water. Approximately ⅔ of Columbia's land area, 81.2 square miles (210 km ), is contained within the Fort Jackson Military Installation, much of which consists of uninhabited training grounds. The actual inhabited area for

1824-486: The University of South Carolina campus measured a reading of 113 °F (45 °C) on June 29, 2012, which is the highest temperature ever recorded in South Carolina. The metropolitan statistical area of Columbia is the second-largest in South Carolina, and had an estimated population of 858,302 in 2023. Columbia's metropolitan counties include: Fort Jackson (South Carolina) Fort Jackson

1900-533: The colonial era , European settlers encountered the Congaree in this area, who inhabited several villages along the Congaree River. The settlers established a frontier fort and fur trading post named after the Congaree, on the west bank of the Congaree River. It was at the fall line and the head of navigation in the Santee River system. In 1754 the colonial government in South Carolina established

1976-450: The county seat of Richland County , and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County . It is the center of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area , which had an estimated population of 858,302 in 2023, and is the 70th-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States. The name Columbia is a poetic term used for the United States, derived from the name of Christopher Columbus , who explored for

2052-495: The $ 60 million Palmetto Center package, which resulted in construction of an office tower, parking garage, and the Columbia Marriott hotel, which opened in 1983. In 1980, the Columbia metropolitan population reached 410,088, and in 1990, this figure had hit roughly 470,000. During the 1970s and 1980s skyscrapers were constructed and other real-estate development took place throughout Columbia. To meet demand of businesses,

2128-558: The 1942 Doolittle Raid over Tokyo at what is now Columbia Metropolitan Airport . They trained in B-25 Mitchell bombers, the same model as the plane that is installed at Columbia's Owens Field in the Curtiss-Wright hangar. During the 1940s African Americans increased activism for their civil rights: seeking to reverse Jim Crow laws and racial discrimination that pushed them into second-class status in Columbia and

2204-498: The 1994 film Renaissance Man , starring Danny DeVito , Mark Wahlberg , and Stacey Dash , basic training scenes from the fictional "Fort McClane" were filmed at Fort Jackson in 1993. In 2020, the reception battalion barracks were renovated. On 6 May 2021, 23-year-old Jovan Collazo who was three weeks into United States Army Basic Training , fled his basic training dorm in an attempt to make it back to his home state of New Jersey. Authorities would later say he slipped away after

2280-572: The Army with new soldiers is the post's primary mission. 35,000 potential soldiers attend basic training and 8,000 advanced individual training soldiers train at Fort Jackson annually. The training is provided by the 165th and 193rd Infantry Brigades Monday through Sunday for a ten-week period. The post has other missions as well. While some military installations have experienced downsizing and closure in past years, Fort Jackson has added several new schools and training institutions since 1995, including

2356-554: The Eastern part of the country. The USDA places Columbia in the 8a Hardiness Zone . With an annual average of 5 days with 100 °F (38 °C)+ and 72 days with 90 °F (32 °C)+ temperatures, the city's current promotional slogan describes Columbia as "Famously Hot". In the summer months, Columbia usually has the greatest high temperature in the state. One reason for this is its low elevation in comparison to other cities at similar latitudes. For example, Atlanta has

Congaree River - Misplaced Pages Continue

2432-603: The Final Four for the first time. They won their second national championship in 2022 and third in 2024. A Mast General Store was opened in 2011. The Music Farm (now called The Senate) opened a location in Columbia on Senate Street in 2014. In 2000, the Confederate battle flag was moved from the South Carolina State House to the Confederate monument. On July 10, 2015, the flag was removed from

2508-535: The Fort Jackson area their home with about one-third of that total population residing on-post. Close to 3,500 civilians are employed at Fort Jackson and 46,000-plus retirees and their families receive services from this base. On base, visitors can visit the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum, previously known as the Fort Jackson Museum when it opened in 1974. The museum helps visitors learn

2584-688: The M4 he was carrying, but both the bus driver and children on board would not be aware of that. Collazo is now facing multiple charges, including 19 federal counts of kidnapping, armed robbery, and carjacking. In the aftermath of the incident, Collazo has attempted to escape jail twice. Once while at the Richland County Jail, and a second attempt at a hospital where he was recovering from his previous attempt. In addition, as of 14 May 2021, Fort Jackson has "paused weapons immersion training" for soldiers in training "unless they are needed for

2660-728: The Port of Charleston (approximately 100 miles (167 km) away through the Santee-Cooper Lakes to within 5 miles (8 km) of the fall line . The Congaree National Park , one of the main recreational attractions of the river, is located about halfway down the river's course. The 22,200-acre (90 km²) park contains some of the last remaining old growth bottomland hardwood forest in North America . Recreational opportunities include hiking , biking , bird watching , botanical interests, and canoeing . The river

2736-681: The SEC championship. Historic flooding in the city in October 2015 forced the Gamecocks football team to move their October 10 home game. Segra Park (formerly Spirit Communications Park), home of the Columbia Fireflies , opened in April 2016. In April 2017, the Gamecocks women's basketball team (under coach Dawn Staley ) won their first NCAA championship, and the men's basketball team went to

2812-651: The Spanish Crown. Columbia is often abbreviated as Cola, leading to its nickname as "Soda City". The city is located just northwest of the geographic center of South Carolina and was the center of population of South Carolina in 2020. It is also the primary city of the Midlands region of the state. It lies at the confluence of the Saluda River and the Broad River , which merge at Columbia to form

2888-675: The U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute, the Department of Defense Chaplain Center and School, and the National Center for Credibility Assessment , part of the Defense Intelligence Agency . In 2007, the Army consolidated all of its training facilities for drill sergeants at Fort Jackson, and in 2009, Command Sergeant Major Teresa King became the first woman to head what is now the sole drill sergeant school for

2964-611: The U.S. Army. Fort Jackson encompasses more than 52,000 acres (210 km ) of land, including 100 ranges and field training sites and more than 1,000 buildings. Soldiers, civilians, retirees and family members make up the Fort Jackson community that continues to grow in numbers and facilities. An additional 10,000 soldiers attend courses at the Soldier Support Institute, Chaplain Center and School, and Drill Sergeant School annually. An estimated 3,500 active duty personnel and their 12,000 military family members make

3040-482: The U.S. entered World War I . At the conclusion of World War I, Camp Jackson was shut down and the Camp was abandoned 25 April 1922, pursuant to General Orders No. 33, War Department, 27 July 1921. Camp Jackson was reactivated for World War II , where Franklin D. Roosevelt and George C. Marshall hosted a demonstration of the combat-readiness of several divisions for Winston Churchill and Alan Brooke in preparation of

3116-516: The US Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. On August 21, 1962, eight downtown chain stores served blacks at their lunch counters for the first time. The University of South Carolina, a public institution, admitted its first black students in 1963. Around that same time, many vestiges of segregation began to disappear from the city: blacks attained membership on various municipal boards and commissions, and

Congaree River - Misplaced Pages Continue

3192-569: The Union on December 20. A considerable military infrastructure sprung up in Columbia. The state arsenal was located in Columbia, along with the state military academy. The University of South Carolina grounds were converted into a military hospital since its role as an educational institution had been made moot after its entire student body volunteered for the Confederate Army. Numerous industrial facilities produced war materiel. By 1865, it

3268-475: The abandoned Operation Roundup . At the conclusion of World War II, the post was to have been deactivated by 1950; however, the outbreak of the Korean War caused the post to remain active and it is still functioning in the early 21st Century. Fort Jackson is the largest and most active initial entry training center in the U.S. Army, training 50 percent of all soldiers entering the Army each year. Providing

3344-403: The bus unharmed. He then attempted to drive the bus himself but stopped after driving roughly a mile. He then abandoned the bus, the rifle, and proceeded to try and make it on foot. He was apprehended by South Carolina police shortly after. Brigadier General Milford Beagle , the installation commander for Fort Jackson, later put out a statement saying that Collazo did not possess any ammunition for

3420-525: The camp on September 1, 1917. In the first several decades of the 20th century, white Democrats of the Solid South controlled an outsize amount of power in the House and Senate. The former Confederate states had effectively disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites through passage of discriminatory laws and constitutions that made voter registration and voting more difficult. But they controlled all

3496-468: The city adopted a non-discriminatory hiring policy. These and other such signs of racial progress helped earn the city the 1964 All-America City Award for the second time (the first being in 1951). A 1965 article in Newsweek lauded Columbia as a city that had "liberated itself from the plague of doctrinal apartheid ". Since the late 20th century, historic preservation has played a significant part in

3572-498: The city constructed The Tower at 1301 Gervais in 1973. In 1983, Hub at Columbia was constructed. In 1987, the Capitol Center was built, which became the tallest building in South Carolina. The Bank of America Plaza was built in 1989. During the 1990s and early 2000s the city worked to revitalize the downtown, as businesses had been pulled out to the suburbs. The Congaree Vista district along Gervais Street, once known as

3648-416: The city in the 1840s primarily transported cotton bales, not passengers, from there to major markets and the port of Charlestown. Cotton was the chief commodity of the state and lifeblood of the Columbia community; in 1850, virtually all of the city's commercial and economic activity was related to cotton. Cotton was sent to New York and New England's textile mills, as well as to England and Europe, where demand

3724-488: The city is slightly more than 50 square miles (130 km ). Columbia has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), with relatively cool to mild winters and hot and humid summers. The area averages 55 nights below freezing and is subject to temporary cold spells during the winter, but extended cold or days where the temperature fails to rise above freezing are both rare. These cold snaps usually result from atmospheric troughs that bring in cold air from Canada across

3800-471: The city numbered 119, with one-third of them dealing in food. In 1934, the federal courthouse at the corner of Main and Laurel streets was purchased by the city for use as City Hall. Built of granite from nearby Winnsboro , Columbia City Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Designed by Alfred Built Mullett , President Ulysses S. Grant 's federal architect, the building

3876-631: The city. The historic Robert Mills House was restored in 1967, which inspired the renovation and restoration of other historic structures, such as the Hampton-Preston House and others associated with President Woodrow Wilson , Maxcy Gregg , Mary Boykin Chesnut , and noted free black Celia Mann. In the early 1970s, the University of South Carolina initiated the refurbishment of its "Horseshoe". Several area museums also benefited from

SECTION 50

#1732772560292

3952-618: The first few years of Reconstruction. In addition, repair of railroad tracks in outlying areas created more jobs for residents. By the late nineteenth century, culture was expanding in the city. In 1897 the Columbia Music Festival Association (CMFA) was founded by Mayor William McB. Sloan and the city aldermen. It was headquartered in the Opera House on Main Street, which also served as City Hall. Its role

4028-660: The general underfunding of education. The protest was led by SC for Ed , a left-learning state advocacy group for teachers. Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, protests and riots spread to South Carolina and Columbia , which included the burning of several police cars and the breaking of business windows. In 2021, Republican Daniel Rickenmann was elected mayor of Columbia , defeating Democrat Tameika Isaac Devine . He succeeded Stephen K. Benjamin , who did not seek reelection, in January 2022. On April 16, 2022,

4104-662: The history of Fort Jackson since it was created in 1917. Admission into the Basic Combat Training Museum is open Monday through Friday, except for federal holidays, and admission is free. Located in the heart of the Midlands of South Carolina , Fort Jackson was incorporated into the city of Columbia in October 1968 and is midway between New York and Miami . Columbia has direct access to three interstate highways, I-20 , I-26 and I-77 , and indirect access to two additional interstates within 100 miles (160 km), I-95 and I-85 . Average temperatures in

4180-569: The increased historical interest of that time, among them the Fort Jackson Museum, the McKissick Museum on the campus of the University of South Carolina, and most notably the South Carolina State Museum , which opened in 1988. Mayor Kirkman Finlay Jr. , was the driving force behind the refurbishment of Seaboard Park, now known as Finlay Park , in the historic Congaree Vista district. His administration developed

4256-419: The legislators elected to state government, Columbia became the focus of considerable attention. Reporters, journalists, travelers, and tourists flocked here to see a Southern state legislature whose members included freedmen (former slaves), as well as men of color who had been free before the war. The city began to rebuild and recover from the devastating fire of 1865; a mild construction boom took place within

4332-768: The mills. New projects included construction of the Union Bank Building at Main and Gervais, the Palmetto National Bank , a shopping arcade, and large hotels at Main and Laurel (the Jefferson) and at Main and Wheat (the Gresham). In 1917, the city was selected by the US Army to be developed as the site of Camp Jackson , a U.S. military installation that was officially classified as a "Field Artillery Replacement Depot". The first recruits arrived at

4408-493: The monument to a museum in the wake of the Charleston church shooting a month before by Columbia-born resident Dylann Roof . In August 2017, the central path of a total solar eclipse passed directly over the city and state capitol. In March 2019, the murder of Samantha Josephson gained national attention. In Five Points , a neighborhood in Columbia known for its late-night bars, Samantha Josephson mistakenly entered into

4484-478: The new J. Bratton Davis United States Bankruptcy Courthouse . In 1940 Camp Jackson was reactivated after war started in Europe, and was designated as Fort Jackson. City leaders and the congressional delegation had lobbied to gain such a permanent military installation. In the early 1940s, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor , which catalyzed the entry of the US into World War II , Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle and his group of now-famous pilots began training for

4560-417: The new state capital in 1786 due to its central location in the state. The State Legislature first met there in 1790. After remaining under the direct government of the legislature for the first two decades of its existence, Columbia was incorporated as a village in 1805 and then as a city in 1854. Columbia received a large stimulus to development when it was connected in a direct water route to Charleston by

4636-523: The region range from a high of 90+ °F (32 °C) in July to a low of 34 °F (1 °C) in January. Annual rainfall averages around 48 inches (1,200 mm). The fort has a significant economic impact on the local area. Annual expenditures by Fort Jackson exceed $ 716.9 million for salaries, utilities, contracts and other services. In addition, over 100,000 family members visit the Midlands area each year to attend basic training graduation activities, using local hotels, restaurants and shopping areas. In

SECTION 60

#1732772560292

4712-427: The river is unnavigable for boats sailing upstream. Entrepreneurs and later industrialists established mills in such areas, as the water flowing downriver, often over falls, provided power to run equipment. After the American Revolutionary War and United States independence, State Senator John Lewis Gervais of the town of Ninety Six introduced a bill that was approved by the legislature on March 22, 1786, to create

4788-490: The seats in Congress related to the total state populations. In 1930, Columbia was the hub of a trading area with about 500,000 potential customers. It had 803 retail establishments, 280 of them being food stores. The city also had 58 clothing and apparel outlets, 57 restaurants and lunch rooms, 55 filling stations, 38 pharmacies, 20 furniture stores, 19 auto dealers, 11 shoe stores, nine cigar stands, five department stores, and one book store. Wholesale distributors located within

4864-405: The state's flagship public university and the largest in the state. The area has benefited from Congressional support for Southern military installations. Columbia is the site of Fort Jackson , the largest United States Army installation for Basic Combat Training . Twenty miles to the east of the city is McEntire Joint National Guard Base , which is operated by the U.S. Air Force and is used as

4940-424: The state. In 1945, a federal judge ruled that the city's black teachers were entitled to equal pay to that of their white counterparts. But, in following years, the state attempted to strip many blacks of their teaching credentials. Other issues in which the blacks of the city sought equality concerned voting rights and segregation (particularly regarding public schools). In 1954, in Brown v. Board of Education ,

5016-414: The town. John Taylor , the first elected intendant, later served in both houses of the General Assembly, both houses of Congress, and eventually was elected as governor. By 1816, some 250 homes had been built in the town and a population was more than 1000. In 1828, the South Carolina Female Collegiate Institute was founded by Elias Marks for the higher education of young women. (The word Collegiate

5092-413: Was added to its charter in 1835.) Since the school was located on 500 acres in the Barhamville area of Columbia, it was often informally called Barhamville Institute or Barhamville Academy. "...it was the first and only school of its character at the South. It was of a very high class..." The Barhamville Institute closed in 1867 due to the economic dislocation of the Civil War. Columbia became chartered as

5168-446: Was also the Confederacy's last breadbasket. All of these factors combined to make it the obvious next target for General William T. Sherman after his successful March to the Sea captured Savannah, Georgia . The Union Army, under Gen. Sherman, captured the city on February 17, 1865. Much of the city was destroyed by fire between the 17th and 18th. The idea that General Sherman ordered the burning of Columbia has persisted as part of

5244-453: Was caught, convicted, and sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole. On December 28, 2022, federal legislation authorizing a study of ride-sharing safety practices, with passage by the US House and Senate, was sent to President Biden's desk. In May 2019, 10,000 people marched at the Statehouse in the "All Out Rally" to protest issues surrounding education, including low teacher pay, high student-to-teacher ratios, and

5320-442: Was chosen as the site of the state college in an effort to unite residents of the Upcountry and the Lowcountry after the American Revolutionary War. The leaders of South Carolina kept a close eye on the new college: for many years after its founding, commencement exercises were held in December while the state legislature was in session. Columbia received its first charter as a town in 1805. An intendant and six wardens governed

5396-409: Was completed in 1876. Mullet, best known for his design of the Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, had originally designed the courthouse with a clock tower. It was not constructed, perhaps because of large cost overruns on the project. Copies of Millet's original drawings can be seen on the walls of City Hall alongside historic photos of other Columbia beginnings. Federal offices were moved to

5472-435: Was high. "In 1830, around 1,500 slaves lived and worked in Columbia; this population grew to 3,300 by 1860. Some members of this large enslaved population worked in their masters' households. Masters also frequently hired out slaves to Columbia residents and institutions, including South Carolina College. Hired-out slaves sometimes returned to their owners' homes daily; others boarded with their temporary masters." Columbia

5548-671: Was named for the Congaree Native Americans who used to live along it. Below is a list of crossings from the river's origin in Columbia downstream to its confluence with the Wateree, where it forms the Santee River: Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina . With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census , it is the second-most populous city in South Carolina. The city serves as

5624-511: Was nearing 1,000 shortly after the start of the 19th century. The commissioners constituted the local government until 1797, when a Commission of Streets and Markets was created by the General Assembly. Three main issues occupied most of their time: public drunkenness, gambling, and poor sanitation. In 1801, South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina ) was founded in Columbia. The original building survives. The city

5700-598: Was of considerable importance to the Confederacy during the American Civil War . Columbia was the site of the first Southern secession convention, which assembled in the First Baptist Church on December 17, 1860. Secession may have been declared in Columbia, were it not for a smallpox outbreak that moved the convention to Charleston, where South Carolina became the first state to secede from

5776-708: Was to book and manage concerts and events in the opera house for the city. During the early 20th century, Columbia developed as a regional textile manufacturing center. In 1907, Columbia had six mills in operation: Richland , Granby , Olympia , Capital City, Columbia, and Palmetto. Combined, they employed over 3,400 workers with an annual payroll of $ 819,000, giving the Midlands an economic boost of over $ 4.8 million. Columbia had no paved streets until 1908, when 17 blocks of Main Street were surfaced. But, it had 115 publicly maintained street crossings, boardwalks placed at intersections to keep pedestrians from having to wade through

#291708