How much do you know about Columbia, Richland County history? Explore these 12 sites
Are you a history buff? Want to get the kids some learnin’? Or just have a free day and want to explore Richland County and Columbia’s past?
The State worked with Brian Cuthrell of The South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina and John Sherrer of Historic Columbia, a Columbia preservation group, to put together a list of interesting historical sites in the heart of South Carolina.
Give these a visit:
Seibels House and Garden
1601 Richland St.
The Seibels House is the oldest building in Columbia. It was built in 1796. Its gardens “represent the evolution of southern gardening from the 19th through early 20th centuries,” Historic Columbia says. The gardens are a popular spot for weddings and other events. Like many of the places on this list, The Seibels House and Garden, also known as the Hale-Elmore-Seibels House, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chappelle Hall
1530 Harden St.
Completed in 1925, Chappelle Hall at Allen University was designed by John Anderson Lankford, the first Black architect registered in the United States. It houses administrative officers for the historically Black college. Lightning destroyed the original cupola in 1974, but a new one was built. The hall is named for William David Chappelle, a former president and trustee of the school, who was enslaved when he was born in 1857. He is the great grandfather of comedian Dave Chappelle.
First Baptist Church of Columbia
1306 Hampton St.
One of the most defining moments of United States history began in the First Baptist Church of Columbia. What was known as the “Secession Convention” first met in the church in December 1860 to discuss South Carolina seceding from the union. The state’s secession prompted the Civil War. The church now hosts one of the largest congregations in Richland County on an impressive campus near downtown Columbia. The building in which the convention met stands next to a much larger sanctuary finished in 1992.
Congaree National Park
100 National Park Rd. (in Hopkins, SC)
Congaree National Park offers more than a nature hike. The park tells the natural history of the area and some of the history of the Native American people who lived nearby. The site offers stories about how the natural landscape was used and altered by people and teaches visitors about the evolution of Richland County.
South Carolina State House
1100 Gervais St.
The South Carolina State House is the iconic structure of Columbia and contends for the same position for the entire state. The building and the grounds are filled with drama and contention about what history South Carolina celebrates. It’s a living embodiment of South Carolina’s internal struggles. Tours are offered almost everyday.
Main Street
1200-1700 block of Main St.
You can see historical architecture of Columbia on the 1200, 1300, 1600 and 1700 blocks and learn about the city during the Civil Rights Movement with the Columbia SC 63 self-guided walking tour.
Mann-Simons Site
1403 Richland St.
The Mann-Simons Site is named for the family of Celia Mann, who, with her husband, moved to the site by 1843. Mann and her husband were one of the few free Black families in Columbia. Descendants lived or ran businesses there until 1970. A historian called the site “one of the most important sites in terms of history and historical significance in South Carolina,” according to Historic Columbia.
University of South Carolina Horseshoe
800-900 block of Sumter St.
The Horseshoe is the heart of the University of South Carolina. It features 11 of the original 12 buildings that were part of “South Carolina College,” the original name for USC when it was founded in 1801. One of those buildings is the South Caroliniana Library, the oldest free standing college library in the country. Robert Mills, the United States’ first federal architect and the designer of the Washington Monument, designed the library in part.
Robert Mills House
1616 Blanding St.
Speaking of Robert Mills, he designed the structure that bears his name in Columbia. The Robert Mills House, known as Ainsley Hall when it was built in the 19th century, is one of Columbia’s stunning antebellum structures. It is one of five National Historic Landmarks in Columbia, according to Historic Columbia.
Museum of Reconstruction at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home
1705 Hampton St.
The 28th president of the United States lived in the Columbia house when he was a boy. Inside, it is the country’s only museum dedicated to the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, “a time when African Americans participated in government, founded churches, claimed access to education and negotiated new terms of labor,” Historic Columbia writes.
Modjeska Monteith Simkins House
2025 Marion St.
Sherrer, a historian for Historic Columbia, called Simkins the “matriarch of human rights” for South Carolina. The house, which is open for tours, “documents Simkins’ upbringing and career as a public health worker and state secretary of the South Carolina NAACP through the lens of the long civil rights movement.”
The Kensington Mansion
Off S.C. Hwy. 764 near Eastover
The Kensington Mansion is probably the most eccentric antebellum house in South Carolina. Historic Columbia describes it as “singular” in the state. It’s also connected to presidential history. Its builder, Colonel Richard Singleton, was the brother of Angelica Singleton Van Buren, daughter-in-law of President Martin Van Buren. Located near Eastover in the south of Richland County, it is opened for tours at certain times.
Honorable Mentions
Some other compelling historical sites in Columbia and Richland County are the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion, where tours happen throughout the week, and the South Carolina Memorial Gardens. The garden was designed by famed landscape architect Loutrel W. Briggs and was the first memorial garden sponsored by a state garden club dedicated to World War II veterans, according to the National Register. Bethel A.M.E. Church and Randolph Cemetery are also Black history sites.
The Walker Local and Family History Center at the Richland Library on Assembly Street also has some historical items but is more for research purposes than tourism. However, if you’re stuck inside, its digitized collections make for some interesting viewing. The South Caroliniana Library also has an array of digital collections, including photographs from Columbia from 1949 to 1951.
More historical sites in Columbia and Richland County can be found on the National Register’s website and sciway.net.
This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 5:30 AM.