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The Region At A Glance
Richland County/Columbia
Richland County is indeed a rich land. It is rich in culture, history, and learning. From its beginnings, the county was destined for great things. During the colonial period, the state's ties to the sea held its cultural and political heart in Charleston. By the Revolution, however, many people moved to the midlands and the upstate. Little representation and the sheer distance to Charleston left much of the state disgruntled and by 1786, the legislature decided to move the capital to a central location, at the confluence of the Broad and Saluda rivers. The founders called the new capital "Columbia." And the planners laid out a town of two square miles, criss-crossed by wide streets. The General Assembly first met in the new State House, at the corner of Senate and Assembly Streets, in January 1790.
By the time Sherman burned it to the ground in 1865, it was a thriving city. Today, the city thrives again and is experiencing another rebirth, built on the foundations of the old. Fine restaurants, antique stores, trendy boutiques and art galleries occupy refurbished old buildings in Columbia's downtown Vista area, as well as nearby Five Points. Newly developed parks offer cool oases in the center of the city. The arts thrive with cultural performances almost nightly. The Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens and the SC State Museum feature new renovations and additions annually, as do Columbia's other attractions. The EdVenture Children's Musuem has activites for the entire family. Not only is Columbia the center of government, it's a center for fun. In 2006, Richland County was given the All-American City Award, a Nobel Prize for Civic Involvement.
Lexington County
Founded in 1785 by industrious German settlers, the county was first named Saxe Gotha. It was situated west of the capital and formed the "handle" of the area known as the "Dutch Fork," from the German word "deutsch." To commemorate the Revolution, the name was later changed to Lexington, in honor of the war's first battle.
Two museums in Lexington County hold much memorabilia from those early Dutch Fork days.
The Lexington County Museum Complex in the town of Lexington has a varied collection of the antebellum arts and crafts of self-sufficiency displayed in 15 period buildings. The Cayce Historical Museum in the town of Cayce is a replica of the old Cayce House, a trading post of the mid-1700's with an authentic kitchen and smokehouse. The town of Cayce encompasses the site of Ft. Granby, one of the earliest inland villages and the site of two Revolutionary battles. Batesburg-Leesville is the heart of Lexington's agricultural community and the home of the SC Poultry Festival. The community was named after two prominent residents and is admired for its beautiful homes and historic cemeteries.
Once largely an agricultural area, Lexington County and the town of the same name are now one of the fastest-growing areas in the southeast. Many of the smaller farms have given way to beautiful homes, schools and stores, but the peach orchards are still plentiful, producing some of the sweetest fruit you'll ever taste. And some people swear that Lexington County soil also grows the best tomatoes. Stop by one of the roadside stands during the spring and summer and take your own taste test!
Lake Murray
The lake was named after William S. Murray, who was an engineer involved in the design and creation of the dam. Lexington Water Power Company (now known as South Carolina Electric and Gas) built the dam in order to generate electricity. The lake and dam were under construction from 1927 through 1930. Approximately 100,000 acres of land was purchased for the building of the dam and lake and land was purchased from more than 5000 families. The land sold between $15 and $45 an acre.
To make room for the lake, nearly a dozen communities had to abandoned, including Derrick, Pine Ridge, Selwood, Wessinger, Cantsville, Leaphart, Savilla, Boyleston, Lorena, Holly’s Ferry and Lorick’s Ferry. Six schools, three churches and about 193 graveyards containing 2,323 graves had to be moved. Some families chose not to move the graves, and at several area churches there are monuments with these names listed. To clear the land and log the trees, from the area to be covered by water, an average rate of 50 cents per day, was paid to 2,000 men to clear the 65,000 acres by hand using crosscut saws and axes. Out of the trees cut down, 100 million board feet of lumber was manufactured. Some of the lumber was used in the construction of the dam and some was used to build a three-mile railroad between the dam site and what is known today as Irmo.
Each of the towers is 223 feet tall. The four smaller ones were built 16 feet in diameter to draw water from the bottom of the lake into the penstocks (a channel or pipe used to control water flow or supply water to something such as a hydroelectric plant). The penstocks deliver water from the base of the towers in the lake to the turbines in the power plant 1,150 feet away. Water enters the turbines through a spiral case of tapered tubes that diverts water through the turbines. Wickets (or gates) regulate the amount of water that enters. The largest tower is 60 feet in diameter and feeds water to the massive arch conduit beneath it.
At a cost of $20.l million, the dam was built in three sections. The dam is 1 ½ miles long, 375 feet thick, 208 feet high and covers 99 acres. The four spillgates, each 37 ½ ft. long by 25 feet wide are on the Lexington end of the dam. Between 1943 and 1946, two additional gates were added to the spillway, and dam was strengthened by raising the crest 3 ft. The spillways were constructed to handle any flood situation where the lake’s level rose above the 360’ mark.
On August 31, 1929 the reservoir began filling with water. Lake Murray covers approximately 50,000 acres of land and 629 miles of shoreline. It is 41 miles long and 14 miles wide at its widest point. On Dec 1, 1930, at 7 a.m. the first electric power---10,000 kilowatts---was delivered and Lake Murray was celebrated as the world’s largest power reservoir. The official name of the dam is Dreher Shoals, although most people refer to it as Lake Murray Dam.
What is under the lake has been the fascination of many people. There are nearly a dozen communities, thousands of graves, the Wyse Ferry Bridge, bomber airplanes, a pipeline, several railroad tank cars, an old rock house, also homes, boats, and bomb fragments under the waters of Lake Murray. In the early 1940’ the U. S. military use the lake to train bomber pilots on the B-25 bomber airplanes. Seven of the lake’s islands, Bomb, Shull, Wessinger, Dreher, Spence Mistey and Holley Key were used as practice targets. *Information is from The History of Lake Murray, by Kim Bowman.
Newberry County
Once upon a time, Newberry was a small, sleepy, southern college town, tracing its roots to the 1740's and 1750's when it was settled by German, English and Scottish-Irish immigrants. For evening entertainment, residents drove 30 miles east to the rich culture and restaurants in the Capital City, Columbia.
Several years ago, however, Newberry started to blossom. It all began when some progressive-minded citizens led an effort to restore the beautiful Newberry Opera House (c. 1882) in the center of town. The Opera House is located right off Main Street and has recently undergone major renovations and has been restored to its full splendor. Professional touring companies perform regularly. For more information, call (803) 276-6264.
Within an area of several blocks around the beautiful old building, more old buildings were restored and today, visitors from Columbia, as well as the entire state, come to Newberry for entertainment. Visitors can enjoy the many and varied national touring shows put on almost nightly at the Opera House. Stay for dinner in one of their wonderful restaurants, offering everything from fine dining to soups and salads. Numerous antique stores and gift shops, selling everything from beautiful furnishings to old apothecary items. It's no wonder it was named among the Top 100 Best Small Towns in America.
Flower lovers are sure to enjoy a visit to the Carter & Holmes Orchid Greenhouses (629 Mendenhall Rd.), the largest indoor orchid nursery open to the public east of the Mississippi. Many orchids can be purchased and group tours of the nursery can be arranged. Call (803) 276-0579 for more information.
The town is also the home of Newberry College, a Lutheran-supported liberal arts school founded in 1856. The county has an abundance of recreational outlets, including Lake Murray, which is easily accessed from the town of Prosperity and the Palmetto Trail, a new recreational asset to the area. When completed, the Palmetto trail will be a 425 mile non-motorized recreational trail linking the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. Sections of it are complete in the Columbia area and in the Sumter National Forest between Newberry and Whitmire. Visit www.palmettoconservation.org for free trail maps.
Saluda County
Saluda remembers the Alamo. If you do, you'll also remember its heroes, Col. William Barrett Travis and James Butler Bonham, both natives of Saluda County and both honored on the grounds of the beautiful courthouse here.
Largely an agricultural county, Saluda's pleasant climate, abundant water and rich soil have attracted people to this area since the earliest days of recorded history. First, Indian tribes and later, European traders recognized the value of its central location among the Indian nations. More than 700 farms in Saluda County support an agricultural economy that produce egg and dairy products, as well as delicious peaches.
The five "P's" on the county logo confirm its agrarian economy and symbolize pastures, ponds, poultry, peaches and pines. Saluda borders two of the southeast's largest metropolitan areas, Columbia, South Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia. Six major highways and an interstate connect the county with its larger neighbors, making it an ideal spot to live, work and visit.
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Visitor's Center located in the historic |
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