The Evans and Cogwell Company printed Confederate bonds, stocks, and currency in Charleston, South Carolina during the Civil War. The firm built this structure in 1864 in Columbia and moved its operations here in April to escape bombardment of Charleston from the harbor. The Union Army under General Sherman occupied Columbia in February of 1865. The Confederate Printing Plant's contents were seized by the Federal forces and the 1-story, gable-roofed structure was burned. Rebuilt in the 1870's as two stories, the building later became a liquor or grocers warehouse. Spanning an entire city block, the vacant brick structure was listed on the National Register in March of 1979. The building is once again being used for storage, after being rehabbed as part of Publix supermarket. Ten townhomes grace the eastern end of the structure.
The largest cotton mill under one roof when it opened in 1899, Olympia Mill is over 550 feet long with 53 bays along Heyward Street. Its four towers with orange brick and terra cotta detailing each contained a reservoir of 15,000 gallons of water. The mill was one of four local textile mills in the southern fringes of Columbia built by Whaley Smith and Company from 1895 to 1900. In its heyday, the mill produced cloth that was 36 inches wide with 5-1/2 yards weighing one pound, or 38 inches wide with 7 yards to the pound. The mill operated under a number of different owners until finally closing in 1996. Olympia Mill was listed in the National Register in 2005 for its significance in industry and architecture. It is part of the Olympia Mill Village Historic District, listed in 2018, including some of the workers' housing, churches, and schools built to the south of the mill by the mill owners. The mill building and its nearby counterpart, Granby Mills, have been renovated into apartments designed for local college students and young professionals.
Olympia Union Hall is a rarity in the Southern U.S. - a building associated with a union for textile workers. Built by 1946, the corners of the building and the center bay of each exterior wall are buttressed, giving the structure a fort-like appearance, ready for battle with its members' employers. The structure was listed in the National Register in 2017 for its association with a local chapter of a textile workers union which was established in 1939 amidst the uncertainty of the future when Olympia Mill was being sold. The former mill owners had not only built a village of houses for its workers, but provided schools, churches, and parks. The building housed offices and meeting space for the local chapter of the union until it closed in 1996, when the decline of the U.S. textile industry brought an end to the local chapter's purpose.
Olympia Armory was built during the Great Depression in a Federal Government-sponsored program, in 1936 to 1937. The Art Deco brick building with parapet end walls and decorative brickwork was one of 24 armories built in the state by this program. Before this time, the state had only two armories, one from 1905 and one from 1776! Olympia Armory, locally significant for its architecture, was listed in the National Register in 1995. The armory is near two former textile mill villages, Olympia and Granby. It once served as the gymnasium for the nearby Olympia School until the school built its own gym. The building currently houses offices of the South Carolina State Guard.
Holding a capacity of 82,250, the William Brice Stadium is currently the 20th largest stadium in NCAA football. The stadium was originally built in 1934 and serves as the home stadium for the South Carolina Gamecocks. When it opened it only seated 17,600. Expansions took place during the coming decades bringing the capacity to its current size. It received its current name in 1972.
The South Carolina Museum is one of the largest National Guard museums in the United States. The museum offers an array of military memorabilia: authentic firearms, edged weapons, uniforms, artillery pieces, and armored fighting vehicles. The museum also offers interpretive exhibits that share the history of South Carolinians during various conflicts.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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This drive along the western edge of Columbia includes former structures dating back to the antebellum era and the remnants of massive brick structures from the late 19th and early 20th century and concludes at a nearby museum. All of the entries on this tour are east of the Congaree River in Columbia
