In a lifetime filled with 'what-ifs,' what if the permanent South Carolina capital had ended up in another part of the state? Where would you have been in favor of placing it? Most people don't know there's a tiny community in the High Hills of the Santee that lost by only a couple of votes.
Located between Columbia and Sumter is the small, census-designated community of Stateburg, population, about 1,200.
After the American Revolution, in the 1780s, it was decided to move the then capital of South Carolina from Charleston to an inland, more centralized location.
One of the proposed sites was in Granby's Ferry along the Congaree River.
Granby's Ferry would soon be renamed Columbia. And the rest is in the history books.
But a prominent brigadier general in the South Carolina militia and a statesman and politician, Thomas Sumter, wanted otherwise.
The Virginia-born politician and planter settled in Stateburg and wanted the new capital to be in the central High Hills area.
Like so many of the settlements found in the northwestern mountains of the Upstate, the High Hills were wildly popular as places where those living on the coast could escape the summer heat and conditions making residents prone to malaria.
Many historic sites still remain intact in the community of Stateburg. In fact, there are two National Historic Landmarks and another eight contributing properties that make up the Stateburg Historic District.
One of the most prominent is the Church of the Holy Cross.
Built in 1788, it replaced a nearby Chapel of Ease and is built on land once owned by Thomas Sumter.
Inside, you'll discover a majestic and inspirational space worthy of visiting.
While nearly all of the stately, historic homes you'll see in Stateburg are privately owned and not open for visitors, there are places open to the public that are just as keenly historic.
A half mile or so up the highway toward Dalzell is the General Thomas Sumter Memorial Park.
Part park and part cemetery, it's the burial place of Thomas Sumter. A monument, a marker, and several other memorial plates, headstones, and even an informational kiosk are found throughout the park or at Sumter's grave site.
If Thomas Sumter had been successful in wooing enough votes in his favor, the capital of South Carolina would have moved in the 1780s from Charleston to the tiny community of Stateburg in the High Hills. Did you know the South Carolina state capital was almost in another city other than Columbia? How different do you think life in Columbia would be today if the capital was located 35 miles to the east in Stateburg?
All kinds of oddball history facts exist about the Palmetto State, like the day in history when thousands of fish fell from the sky in the South Carolina.
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