South Carolina History Timeline: 60 Dated Events

South Carolina history in 60 dated events, from about 13,000 years ago (Human groups were living in what became South Carolina by about 13,000 years ago, the time) to January 12, 2017. Every row links the National Park Service, state archive, agency or encyclopedia page it was read from.

Header photo: Harper’s Weekly, June 14, 1862: Robert Smalls and the Planter, which he took out of Charleston in May 1862. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-117998.

60dated events
10eras
about 13,000 years agoearliest date on the list
56source pages cited

First peoples
Spanish and French era
Colonial era
Revolution
Early statehood
Civil War
Reconstruction
New South and industry
Civil rights
Modern era

Download this data: CSV · JSON · 60 events · free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to It’s South Carolina. All open data: catalog.json.

First peoples

When	What happened	Where	Source
about 13,000 years ago	Human groups were living in what became South Carolina by about 13,000 years ago, the time frame widely accepted by archaeologists (scant evidence suggests possibly 18,000 years ago).	South Carolina	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Prehistoric South Carolina
five thousand to three thousand years ago	Late Archaic peoples built fifteen shell ring complexes along the outer coastal plain and made early clay pottery.	Coastal plain	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Prehistoric South Carolina

Spanish and French era

When	What happened	Where	Source
September 1526	Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón founded San Miguel de Gualdape, the first Spanish town in the present-day United States; scholars place it at various sites on the South Carolina and Georgia coast.	South Carolina/Georgia coast (site unknown)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: San Miguel de Gualdape
April to May of 1540	Hernando de Soto’s expedition crossed present-day South Carolina in search of the chiefdom of Cofitachiqui.	Interior South Carolina	South Carolina Encyclopedia: De Soto’s exploration of South Carolina
1562	Jean Ribault’s men built Charlesfort, the first French settlement in the present-day United States; archaeologists located its site on Parris Island in the 1980s.	Parris Island (Beaufort)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Charlesfort
April 1566	Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded Santa Elena on present-day Parris Island; it served as capital of Spanish La Florida for much of its first ten years and lasted until 1587.	Parris Island (Beaufort)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Santa Elena

Colonial era

When	What happened	Where	Source
1663	King Charles II granted the land that became North and South Carolina to eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors.	Carolina (grant)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Lords Proprietors of Carolina
April 1670	Settlers from England and the Caribbean founded Charles Towne at Albemarle Point on the west bank of the Ashley River, the first permanent European settlement in Carolina.	Charleston (Albemarle Point)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Charleston
by 1680	Charles Towne was moved to Oyster Point at the tip of the peninsula, the site of today’s downtown Charleston.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Charleston
January 17, 1711	Beaufort was chartered; it is the second-oldest town in South Carolina.	Beaufort	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Beaufort
1715-1718	The Yamassee War, which also involved Cherokees, Creeks and Choctaws, spread from the Savannah River to Charleston.	Lowcountry (Pocotaligo Town and beyond)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Yamassee War
December 1719	The Revolution of 1719, an almost bloodless coup by colonists, ended proprietary rule in South Carolina.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Revolution of 1719
1729	Elisha Screven founded Georgetown, the third-oldest town in South Carolina.	Georgetown	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Georgetown
1735	About 220 German-Swiss immigrants settled along the North Edisto River, beginning the town of Orangeburg.	Orangeburg	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Orangeburg
September 9, 1739	The Stono Rebellion, South Carolina’s largest and bloodiest slave insurrection, began on a branch of the Stono River as enslaved people tried to reach freedom in Spanish Florida.	Stono River, St. Paul’s Parish (Charleston)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Stono Rebellion
1759-1761	The Cherokee War, partly a southeastern phase of the French and Indian War, was fought on the colony’s western frontier.	Upstate frontier	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Cherokee War (1759-1761)

Revolution

When	What happened	Where	Source
June 28, 1776	Patriots in an unfinished palmetto-log fort on Sullivan’s Island (later Fort Moultrie) defeated a British attack, the first major patriot victory of the war.	Sullivan’s Island (Charleston)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Sullivan’s Island, Battle of
1777	After a full-scale patriot assault on their towns, the Cherokees ceded most of their South Carolina land.	Upstate (Cherokee Lower Towns)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Cherokees
May 12, 1780	Charleston surrendered to the British after a siege, beginning major British operations in the South.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Charleston, Siege of (April-May 1780)
August 16, 1780	The Battle of Camden was one of the worst defeats suffered by the Continental army.	Camden (Kershaw)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Camden, Battle of
August 19, 1780	At Musgrove’s Mill, 200 Patriot militia defeated a larger Loyalist and British Provincial force.	Musgrove Mill (near Clinton) (Laurens)	Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site (SC State Parks)
October 7, 1780	Patriot militia defeated British Major Patrick Ferguson’s Loyalist force at Kings Mountain, the first major patriot victory after the British took Charleston.	Kings Mountain (York)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Kings Mountain, Battle of
January 17, 1781	Daniel Morgan’s army turned both flanks of Banastre Tarleton’s British army at Cowpens in a classic double envelopment.	Cowpens (Cherokee)	South Carolina parks list (NPS) – Cowpens National Battlefield
1781	Nathanael Greene besieged the British-held Star Fort at Ninety Six for twenty-eight days.	Ninety Six (Greenwood)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Ninety-Six, Battles of
September 8, 1781	Greene’s army fought the British at Eutaw Springs.	Eutaw Springs (Orangeburg)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Eutaw Springs, Battle of
December 14, 1782	The British evacuated Charleston, ending more than two years of occupation; the departing fleet carried 3,700 loyal whites and 5,000 enslaved people.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Charleston

Early statehood

When	What happened	Where	Source
1786	The legislature created Columbia, named for Christopher Columbus, as a planned capital near the geographic center of the state.	Columbia (Richland)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Columbia
May 1788	South Carolina ratified the U.S. Constitution; the final vote in the Charleston convention was 149 to 73.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Ratification of the U.S. Constitution
December 19, 1801	South Carolina College, today the University of South Carolina, was chartered.	Columbia (Richland)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: University of South Carolina
1822	Charleston authorities broke up the planned uprising led by Denmark Vesey, a free Black man; tribunals ordered 35 men hanged.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Vesey, Denmark
1832-1833	Nullifiers called a state convention that nullified the federal tariffs, a crisis eased by the compromise tariff of 1833.	Columbia (Richland)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Nullification
October 3, 1833	The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road reached Hamburg; at 136 miles it was then the longest railroad under single management in the world.	Charleston to Hamburg	South Carolina Encyclopedia: South Carolina Railroad
December 1845	The General Assembly chartered the Graniteville Company, one of the South’s earliest and most successful textile mills.	Graniteville (Aiken)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Graniteville Company
December 1851	Construction began on the South Carolina State House in Columbia; the building was not completed for decades.	Columbia (Richland)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: State House

Civil War

When	What happened	Where	Source
December 20, 1860	The 169 delegates of the South Carolina convention in Charleston voted unanimously to secede from the Union.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Secession
April 12, 1861	Confederate forces fired on the U.S. garrison at Fort Sumter, opening the Civil War.	Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor	Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park (NPS)
November 7, 1861	U.S. forces won the Battle of Port Royal, establishing a Union base on the South Carolina coast.	Port Royal Sound (Beaufort)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Port Royal, Battle of
May 13, 1862	Robert Smalls led the enslaved crew of the steamer Planter past Charleston harbor’s defenses and surrendered the vessel to the U.S. blockading fleet.	Charleston Harbor	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Smalls, Robert
1862	Northern missionaries Laura Towne and Ellen Murray established Penn School on St. Helena Island, one of the earliest schools for freed people.	St. Helena Island (Beaufort)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Penn Center
January 1, 1863	Ceremonies at Camp Saxton in Port Royal celebrated the Emancipation Proclamation, starting South Carolina’s Emancipation Day tradition.	Camp Saxton, Port Royal (Beaufort)	Reconstruction Era National Historical Park FAQ (NPS)
July 18, 1863	The Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, a regiment of Black soldiers, spearheaded the assault on Battery Wagner on Morris Island.	Morris Island (Charleston)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Battery Wagner
February 17, 1864	The Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley attacked and sank the USS Housatonic about four miles off Sullivan’s Island.	Off Sullivan’s Island (Charleston)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: H. L. Hunley
February 17-18, 1865	Sherman’s Union army captured Columbia and one-third of the city burned; who burned Columbia remains controversial.	Columbia (Richland)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Columbia, Burning of

Reconstruction

When	What happened	Where	Source
1868	Of 124 delegates to South Carolina’s 1868 constitutional convention, 73 were Black or of mixed ancestry.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Reconstruction
December 1870	Joseph Hayne Rainey of Georgetown took his seat in Congress, the first Black man to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.	Georgetown	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Rainey, Joseph Hayne
July 8, 1876	The Hamburg Massacre grew out of white hostility to a Black state militia company in the town of Hamburg; Reconstruction in South Carolina ended in 1877.	Hamburg (Aiken)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Hamburg Massacre

New South and industry

When	What happened	Where	Source
August 31, 1886	The giant Charleston earthquake struck; three later shocks of magnitude 5.0-5.9 recorded in the state were its aftershocks.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Earthquakes
September 1934	During the General Textile Strike, six strikers were killed at the Chiquola mill in Honea Path.	Honea Path (Anderson)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: General Textile Strike

Civil rights

When	What happened	Where	Source
1947	In Elmore v. Rice, federal judge J. Waties Waring ruled against South Carolina’s whites-only Democratic primary after George Elmore was denied a primary ballot in Richland County.	Columbia (Richland)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Elmore v. Rice
1952-1954	Briggs v. Elliott, filed by twenty Black parents in Clarendon County, became one of the five cases decided in Brown v. Board of Education.	Summerton (Clarendon)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Briggs v. Elliott
January 31, 1961	CORE’s Thomas Gaither and nine Friendship Junior College students were arrested at McCrory’s lunch counter in Rock Hill; Gaither and eight students chose thirty days’ hard labor instead of $100 fines.	Rock Hill (York)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Rock Hill Movement
January 1963	Harvey Gantt became the first African American student at Clemson College.	Clemson (Pickens)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Gantt, Harvey
February 8, 1968	Three students, Samuel Hammond, Delano Middleton and Henry Smith, were killed by gunfire at South Carolina State during protests over a segregated bowling alley (the Orangeburg Massacre).	Orangeburg	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Orangeburg Massacre
1969	More than four hundred African American hospital workers, mostly women, struck the Medical College Hospital and Charleston County Hospital.	Charleston	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Charleston hospital workers’ strike

Modern era

When	What happened	Where	Source
September 22, 1989	Hurricane Hugo made landfall near Sullivan’s Island with a twenty-foot storm surge in Bulls Bay.	Sullivan’s Island / Bulls Bay (Charleston)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Hurricanes
1993	A land-claims settlement restored federal recognition to the Catawba Indian Nation.	Catawba Reservation (York)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Catawbas
July 1, 2000	The Confederate battle flag was lowered from the State House dome and moved to the grounds beside the Confederate monument.	Columbia (Richland)	South Carolina Encyclopedia: Confederate flag controversy
October 12, 2006	Congress designated the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, running from Pender County, N.C., to St. Johns County, Fla.	Coastal South Carolina	Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (NPS)
June 17, 2015	A gunman killed nine African American members of a Bible study group at Mother Emanuel AME Church in a racist attack.	Charleston	South Carolina: Mother Emanuel AME Church (NPS)
January 12, 2017	A presidential proclamation created Reconstruction Era National Monument in Beaufort County; it became a National Historical Park on March 12, 2019.	Beaufort, Port Royal, St. Helena Island	Reconstruction Era NHP – Management (NPS)

What we could not verify

Battle counts differ: the state tourism site says more than 200 Revolutionary War battles and skirmishes were fought in South Carolina; SC250 says more than in any other colony but gives no number.
The South Carolina Encyclopedia dates the burning of Columbia to February 17-18, 1865 in one entry and to the night of February 17 in another. The year Hampton Plantation’s house was built has not been settled.

We re-check these when the source pages change. Spot something we missed? Use the corrections page.

Frequently asked questions

When did South Carolina ratify the U.S. Constitution?

South Carolina ratified the Constitution in May 1788. Ratification was never in doubt: at the convention in Charleston, Federalists beat the Anti-Federalists by more than two to one, 149 to 73. The U.S. Senate dates ratification to May 23, 1788 (source: South Carolina Encyclopedia: Ratification of the U.S. Constitution).

What were the first European settlements in South Carolina?

Spain and France came first. Spain founded San Miguel de Gualdape in 1526, France built Charlesfort in 1562, and Spain founded Santa Elena on present-day Parris Island in April 1566. Santa Elena served as capital of Spanish La Florida for much of its first ten years and lasted until 1587 (source: South Carolina Encyclopedia: Santa Elena).

When did South Carolina secede from the Union?

South Carolina seceded on December 20, 1860, when the 169 delegates of the state convention meeting in Charleston voted unanimously to leave the Union. Less than four months later, on April 12, 1861, Confederate guns fired on Fort Sumter (source: South Carolina Encyclopedia: Secession).

Last checked October 20, 2026 by the It’s South Carolina editors against each operator’s, agency’s or organizer’s own page.

Sources

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “South Carolina History Timeline: 60 Dated Events With Sources”, itssouthcarolina.com/history/timeline/ (updated 2026-10-25). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.