South Carolina

The pristine waters of Lake Jocassee and a casual stroll through Charleston suggest an amiable heritage. But the Palmetto State has often been the epicenter of struggle that includes the brave souls pushing for change during the civil rights era and the patriots fighting for independence at the Battle of Kings Mountain. Fort Sumter history is defined by the ignition of the Civil War and even idyllic Daufuskie played host to pirates. Explore our South Carolina history books, from the frenetic drama of a state hospital to the coordination of Clemson’s football dynasty. [View all South Carolina books]

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The Dwelling Houses of Charleston, South Carolina

$24.99

Atlantic Beach

$24.99

Myrtle Beach Pavilion

$24.99

Charleston's Historic Cemeteries

$24.99

South Carolina Lighthouses

$24.99

History of South Carolina Lighthouses, A

$19.99

Georgetown County's Historic Cemeteries

$24.99

The Charleston "Freedman's Cottage"

$21.99

Mansfield Plantation

$23.99

St. Philip's Church of Charleston

$29.99

Charleston's Old Exchange Building

$19.99

Atlantic Beach

9780738568201

$24.99

Atlantic Beach, once a mecca for African American vacationers in Myrtle Beach and other East Coast communities during segregation, remains one of a few African American-owned and governed oceanfront resorts in North America. In 1934, George W. Tyson and his wife, Roxie Ballen Tyson, began purchasing and developing land in the area. The Atlantic Beach Company, which was comprised of doctors from North Carolina and South Carolina, continued this process from 1943 until 1956, and the tiny safe haven fondly became known as the "Black Pearl of the Grand Strand." Visitors came by the busload for the fishing, swimming, R&B beach music, and popular dancing among African Americans that later became known as the shag. Thousands of tourists continue to flock to the area on their motorcycles each year for the popular Memorial Day weekend BikeFest.

Myrtle Beach Pavilion

9780738586014

$24.99

For almost a century, the heart of Myrtle Beach was defined by a place simply called the Pavilion. From the original structure built in 1908, the Pavilion was the center of the resort town's growing tourism industry. It was a destination point for anyone coming to the Grand Strand. Here you could stroll the Boardwalk, play arcade games, make faces in fun mirrors, ride rides, dance the Carolina Shag, or sit on a bench and watch everyone else do all of the above. The Pavilion underwent several incarnations. The first ones were wooden and vulnerable, but the final was concrete and seemingly indestructible, standing for nearly 60 years. Hardly an architectural marvel, what the Pavilion lacked in grandeur, it made up for in pure old-fashioned fun. The beloved structure and its rides fell prey to economics and a wrecking ball in 2006.

Charleston's Historic Cemeteries

9781467110235

$24.99

Life in colonial Charles Towne was dangerous—epidemic diseases, primitive medical practices, and a harsh environment led to the early demise of rich and poor alike.

When Charleston's founders moved their settlement across the Ashley River to the peninsula in 1680, they hoped for protection from pirate and Native American attacks, as well as increased trade and healthier living conditions. While they were able to secure more protection for the residents and improve trade, health conditions rapidly declined. The graveyards and public burial grounds quickly filled, and today, Charleston’s historic cemeteries are almost as common a sight downtown as the churches that define the city. These tree-shrouded glades invite tourists and residents to explore the resting places of Charleston’s most illustrious and interesting personalities.Charleston’s Historic Cemeteriesoffers a guided pictorial tour of the elaborate gravestones and elegant inscriptions dedicated to Charleston’s famous and infamous alike, including William Rhett and the pirate Stede Bonnet, Rhett’s adversary. With dozens of illustrated stories about the transformation of funerals, tombstones, and mourning customs in America over the past 300 years, this collection details how Charleston became the home of a historically unique, city-wide gallery of mortuary sculpture.

South Carolina Lighthouses

9780738554006

$24.99

Boasting one of the oldest lighthouses in North America and the most working lighthouses today, South Carolina has a long seafaring history. In 1767, the Morris Island Lighthouse was built at the entrance to Charleston Harbor, and before 1860, there were lighthouses in Georgetown, Cape Romain, Bull's Bay, and Hunting Island. During the Civil War, all lighthouses on the eastern coast were darkened. Many were destroyed. After the war, towers that had been damaged were repaired, and additional lights were erected on Daufuskie and Hilton Head Islands. In 1962, the new Charleston Light on Sullivan's Island replaced the Morris Island Lighthouse, which was suffering from erosion by the ever-encroaching sea. The new light contained an elevator and two rotating beacons capable of producing 28 million candlepower, a light that can be seen 26 miles out to sea. At that time, it was considered one of the most powerful lights in the Western Hemisphere.

History of South Carolina Lighthouses, A

9781626190771

$19.99

Before radar, depth finders and satellite-guided navigation, long before the seafloor was charted with scientific precision, mariners relied on lighthouses to approach a coastline safely. South Carolina's history with lighthouses goes back nearly two and a half centuries. At Cape Romain, a windmill was converted into a lighthouse. St. Philip's Church in Charleston was converted into a beacon for seafarers to aid navigation to the Holy City. With such a long and storied past, the story of South Carolina's lighthouses is inseparable from its maritime history. Join author John Hairr as he recounts the fascinating history of these beacons that have shone above the shores of the Palmetto State.

Georgetown County's Historic Cemeteries

9781467116503

$24.99

Georgetown is the third-oldest city in the state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County. Named for King George III of England, Georgetown County lies on the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Winyah Bay. The county's rivers—Santee, Sampit, Black, Pee Dee, and Waccamaw—were named by the Native Americans who were the area's first inhabitants. In 1732, the land was settled by the English, French, and Scots. Their first staple crop was indigo, but rice soon became the indisputable king of the Lowcountry and flourished in the marshes along the banks of the county's many rivers, creeks, and bays. By 1850, the county contained more than 175 rice plantations. The plantation era ended with the Civil War, the loss of enslaved labor, and a series of devastating hurricanes. Georgetown County's history will forever remain a part of the live oaks and Spanish moss found throughout the county and is retold in every cemetery within Images of America: Georgetown County's Historic Cemeteries.

The Charleston "Freedman's Cottage"

9781596292864

$21.99

Charleston's "freedman's cottages" are some of the most understudied and undervalued vernacular buildings in the city, found as far south as Council Street and as far north as North Charleston. Though these cottages have long been associated
with African American history and culture, they in fact extend much further into the history and development of Charleston and deserve to be studied and understood. The predominant theory is that these tiny houses, often no larger than five hundred square feet, were constructed by and for freed slaves
after the Civil War, due to a rising need for inexpensive housing. Who occupied these houses over time? What were their lives like? Most of them were ordinary citizens to whom we can all relate. Each one of these houses has at least a hundred stories to tell, many of which have been uncovered and recounted here. Join local preservationist Lissa D'Aquisto Felzer as she elevates the freedman's cottages to their rightful place in the history of Charleston architecture.

Mansfield Plantation

9781467117746

$23.99

Standing on the banks of the Black River, Mansfield Plantation is a living testament to antebellum rice plantations. In 1718, it started as a five-hundred-acre land grant near the upstart village of Georgetown. The main house was built around 1800, and the plantation soon grew to nearly one thousand acres. John and Sallie Middleton Parker returned the property to the Man-Taylor-Lance-Parker family, a line of ownership dating back 150 years. Ongoing preservation projects ensure that future generations can explore and appreciate one of the most well-preserved rice plantations in America. Plantation historian Christopher C. Boyle captures the spirit of Mansfield Plantation and unravels the many mysteries of its past.

Charleston's Old Exchange Building

9781596290464

$19.99

The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the great buildings of Colonial America. Serving as city hall, customs house, post office and prison; as the British Headquarters during the occupation of Charles Towne and then host to a great ball honoring George Washington, the Exchange has been an eyewitness to America's history. This stoic building--designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975--has been described as the best example of the dignity and ornament of the traditional English--exchange-town hall--design of the eighteenth century built in the United States. From within its Great Hall to deep below in the Provost Dungeon, the Exchange has played a vital role in American history.