University Libraries - Digital Collections

Berkeley County Photograph Collection

Once part of an album, the 66 photographs (circa 1900) show plantations, African Americans, horses, hunting, rice threshing, wagons and carts, and churches in Berkeley County, S.C. Some featured landmarks are: Medway, Wappahoola, Mulberry Castle, Dean Hall (bulk of collection,) Dockon, Bushy Park, Exeter, Cote Bas, Bippy, Lewisfield, Strawberry Chapel, Strawberry ferry, and pine land house. People who are identified in the photographs include Col. Jim Petigru Carson, S.P. Stoney, and the Stoney family.

Beulah Glover Photograph Collection

In about 1937 Miss Beulah Glover (17 Aug. 1887 � 4 Jan. 1991) opened a photography studio in Walterboro, S.C. Being also an historian, Miss Glover shot many historical scenes in the Lowcountry. She converted some of these images to postcards and sold them in her studio, Foto-Nook. She also used images to illustrate her many articles and books on the history of Colleton County. Miss Glover worked also as photo-journalist, selling her images to the Walterboro newspaper. This small sampling of images by Miss Glover includes prints and negatives and covers the years 1941 to 1952.

Broadsides from the Colonial Era to the Present

Now, broadsides (posters, one page fliers, advertisements and other types of ephemera) from across many different South Caroliniana Library manuscript collections can be searched, viewed, read, and compared. The dates range from the 1700s to the present, and items will continue to be added to this collection.

Carolinian Florist of Governor John Drayton of South Carolina

A remarkable regional botanical guide authored by South Carolina's fortieth governor in 1888 and published for the first time by the South Caroliniana Library in 1943. This book is freely available online, but may also be purchased through the USC Press AccessAble Book Program.

David Wyatt Aiken Papers, 1849 - 1976

This collection contains letters and other materials surrounding the life of five-term U.S. congressman David Wyatt Aiken, who biographers have styled "South Carolina's Militant Agrarian." Born in 1828 in Winnsboro (Fairfield County, S.C.), Aiken served as a colonel in the Confederate Army and later went on to serve in the S.C. House of Representatives. He was a member of the Agricultural and Mechanical Society of South Carolina and served on the executive committee of the National Grange. From 1877 until 1887, he represented South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives. He died in 1887 at his home in Cokesbury, South Carolina. The collection consists in large part of letters to his second wife Virginia Carolina Smith Aiken (1831-1900) , as well as a hand-written autobiography and other materials surrounding his life.

E.T. Start Collection

E. T. Start of New York State moved to Camden, South Carolina in 1903, as the photographer at the Kirkwood Hotel. Photographing the Winter Colony and local scenes, he spent time in Camden until c. 1945. This collection of 200 photographs includes images of people, animals, and houses in Camden, S.C., in particular horse-drawn vehicles, horseback riding, polo, the house "Bohemia," and much more.

Fritz Hollings: In His Own Words

Fritz Hollings: In His Own Words is a collection of Senator Hollings’ writings, speeches, photographs, and audio files from his days as Lt. Governor, Governor, and U.S. Senator. 200 items showcase the compelling intellect, keen wit, and, at times, sharp tongue that Senator Hollings was known for in South Carolina and on Capitol Hill.

Henry William Ravenel's Papers, 1859 - 1860

Keziah Brevard Journal, 1860-1861

Records daily activities, 22 July 1860 - 13 Apr. 1861, of a widowed plantation mistress, including the management of slaves; preparation and preservation of food; menus offered to guests; winery procedures; and the distribution of supplies to the slaves at her Sand Hills and Cabin Branch plantations. Volume also contains Brevard's personal reflections on slavery and secession; will and appraisal of her estate; notes on the summer resort of Adams Hill; and genealogical information on the Adams, Goodwyn, Boykin, Hopkins and related families.

Primary Sources for K-12 , Pilot Project

In collaboration with a pilot group of South Carolina teachers, USC Libraries has made these primary resources available online. We want to build on this effort. Please let us know what you think.

South Carolina Pamphlets

The South Carolina pamphlet collection is comprised of 45 artificially bound volumes of separately published South Carolina imprints from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

South Caroliniana Cookbook Collection

The South Carolina Historical Cookbooks collection consists of publications from 1832 to 1921.  Many of these “receipt” books provide insight into 19th-century and early 20th-century South Carolina foodways, and they also offer advice for practicing home-spun medicine and maintaining home economies. 

USDA Periodicals

This collection contains USDA Periodicals titled, The Cotton Situation (1947-1948), The Farm Income Situation (1946-1955), The Fruit Situation (1946-1949), The Marketing and Transportation Situation (1947-1948), and The Market Reporter (1920-1921).

William Ancrum Papers, 1757-1789

Formerly owned by wealthy Charleston merchant William Ancrum, this volume contains both a letter book and financial accounts that reflect the financial impact of the American Revolution on this South Carolina businessman and planter.

WPA Photograph Collection

This collection of photographs documents cities, towns, farms, lifestyles, landscapes, and other aspects of South Carolina life. Under the direction of Mabel Montgomery and Louise Jones DuBose, these photographs were produced and collected by the South Carolina Writer’s Project (SCWP) from 1936 to 1940. SCWP was part of the Writers’ Program of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), created in 1935 to create, among other things, a comprehensive guide to the states, cities, and regions of the United States. South Carolina: A Guide to the Palmetto State was published in 1941 and included many of the photographs in this collection. SCWP also published several other books on South Carolina, which used some of the images.