Women's History

Hazel Weisse moved to Georgetown in 1936 and opened a brothel three miles south of Front Street. Despite being illegal, the business remained open for thirty-three years until Weisse’s retirement in 1969. She was well known, shopping every week on Front Street and appearing in the newspaper as a donor to charitable causes. She sent her “sporting ladies” to town for their weekly doctor visits, banking deposits and shopping trips. Weisse was also aware of the community around her business. She did not allow her employees free access to Georgetown. She approved their choices of clothes to wear to Front Street, warned them not to look at men on the sidewalk and forbade soliciting. Author David Gregg Hodges reveals the history and stories behind the Sunset Lodge.

Women have played a prominent role in shaping South Carolina's history through active participation in many aspects of the state's development, from securing state appropriations for public libraries to helping to establish the South Carolina Board of Social Services. While many of their achievements have been documented by various organizations, a number of these irreplaceable records have been lost or discarded. Winthrop University, for years one of the largest women's colleges in the nation, strives to preserve these important documents that tell the story of South Carolina women and the contributions they have made. The images in this volume are from the extensive collection of the Winthrop University Archives, which includes the records of the university and state women's organizations as well as numerous personal letters, scrapbooks, and diaries. Within these pages, you will discover the impact that women have made on education, politics, religion, sports, business, and the arts, and learn first hand about their lives and individual accomplishments.

In Civil War Columbia, South Carolina, no women were more gossiped about than Amelia Feaster and her teenage daughter, Marie Boozer. The Philadelphia-born Feaster, a widow three times before her thirty-first birthday, aided the Union war effort from her home, while Marie became infamous for her beauty and vanity. For over a century, scandalous tales of these women have been published across the nation, linking them to rich and powerful men both at home and abroad. Historian Tom Elmore sorts through the many myths and legends--involving such things as adultery, decapitation and the Russian tsar's jewels--about Feaster and Boozer to present the first fact-based biography of these two nineteenth-century tabloid queens.

A woman ahead of her time, the remarkable Dr. Annie Dove Denmark dedicated her life to higher education and the youth of her day. As the first female college president of both Anderson College and in the state of South Carolina, Dr. Denmark faced many challenges in keeping the school open and thriving through the Great Depression and World War II. Through her commitment to both the school and her faith, Dr. Denmark was able to accomplish what many thought was impossible. This compilation of materials, written by the
friends and colleagues who knew her best, includes a biography of Dr. Denmark written by Kathryn Copeland, her coworker for twenty-seven years, and features a collection of wonderful images straight from the college archives.