Business & Economics

From the first settlers in 1735, Orangeburg has evolved through the years into a beautiful and vibrant city. This volume features former small-town life when there were still livery stables, bicycle shops, and emerging car dealers. One can almost hear the clanking of the bottles being filled on the conveyor line at the Orangeburg Coca-Cola Bottling Company or see the stalwart firemen protecting buildings and homes, not to mention repairing and refurbishing used toys for indigent children at Christmastime. The town's fame extended into the political sphere as well--President Kennedy personally informed the publisher of the local newspaper that his most successful Navy assignment in World War II was when he was sent to Orangeburg. From the county fair to the Hawthorne School of Aeronautics, where over 5,000 pilots were trained in World War II, it is all here in this glorious collection of old Orangeburg photographs.

In a town that prides itself on buying local and all things Lowcountry, it's no surprise that artisanal "craft" beer has taken the Holy City by storm. With four established breweries, dedicated retail stores and bars, a home brewing club and the annual Brewvival festival, craft beer culture is booming. But behind the modern ales, lagers and stouts that connoisseurs know and love is a barrelful of Charleston beer history that has been brewing for centuries. From the first brewery that opened its doors in 1732 through Prohibition and the recent "Pop the Cap" legislation that allowed high gravity beer to once again flood the streets, Charlestonians have embraced beer wholeheartedly. Join local writer and beer bard Timmons Pettigrew as he recounts the incredible and mouthwatering history of Charleston beer, pint by frosty pint.

Mills and textiles are a important part of the history of the South, and Greenville, known as the Textile Capital of the World played a key role.

Greenville's textile heritage is what made the community the economic force it is today. From its antebellum beginnings with only a handful of mills, Greenville continued to grow industrially as more and more Northern investors saw financial opportunity in the area. With its notable feats, such as having the largest textile mill under one roof to its many mills fighting off flying squadrons during the General Textile Strike of 1934, the county's textile past is as rich and colorful as the fabrics it produced. Greenville's ascension to the Textile Capital of the World was unfortunately followed by the flood of overseas goods, resulting in the closing of many Upstate institutions. Though these mills are now silent, their efforts are what attracted so many other industries to the area.