Timeline of Columbia, South Carolina
History of Columbia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
18th-19th centuries
- 1786 - Columbia established as state capital (previously located in Charleston).[1]
- 1788 - Columbia becomes part of the new US state of South Carolina.[2]
- 1795 - First Presbyterian Church congregation founded.[3]
- 1797 - Commission of Streets and Markets established.[1]
- 1801 - University of South Carolina was founded
- 1803 - Washington Street Methodist builds the first church building in Columbia
- 1804 - Columbia Library Society founded.[4]
- 1805
- Town chartered.[1]
- John Taylor elected intendant (town leader).[1]
- South Carolina College opens.[2]
- 1809 - First Baptist Church founded.
- 1813 - Trinity Episcopal Church founded.[5]
- 1814 - State Legislative Library established.[4]
- 1824 - St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church built.
- 1825 - March: Lafayette visits town.[5]
- 1828 - South Carolina Female Collegiate Institute founded.[6]
- 1830
- Columbia Theological Seminary active.
- Population: 3,310.[7]
- 1838 - Southern Chronicle newspaper begins publication.[8]
- 1840 - Population: 4,340.[7]
- 1842
- Railroad (Branchville-Columbia) begins operating.[9]
- Arsenal Military Academy (the Citadel) established.
- 1846 - J.T. Zealy daguerreotypist in business.[10][11]
- 1847 - Southern Presbyterian Review begins publication.[8]
- 1850
- 1852 - Charlotte-Columbia railway begins operating.[9]
- 1853
- Greenville-Columbia railway begins operating.
- First Presbyterian Church building constructed.[5]
- 1854 - Office of mayor established.[1]
- 1856
- Town police force[1] and Athenaeum[4][11] established.
- South Carolina State Fair begins.[5]
- 1857
- Trinity Episcopal Cathedral building consecrated.[5]
- Southern Guardian newspaper begins publication.[8][13]
- 1865
- February 17–18: Union forces in power; city burned.[2]
- The Phoenix newspaper begins publication.[8][13]
- 1869 - South Carolina State House built.[5]
- 1870
- Benedict College founded.
- Area of city expands.[1]
- 1871 - October: "Southern States Convention of Colored Men" held in Columbia.[14]
- 1874 - State normal school opens.[15]
- 1875 - US Court House built.[1]
- 1880 - Population: 10,036.
- 1891 - The State newspaper begins publication.[13]
- 1892 - Columbia Hospital established.
- 1893 - Sidney Park Colored Methodist Episcopal Church built.
- 1895 - Columbia Duck Mill begins operating.[5]
- 1896 - South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Museum established.[16]
- 1897 - Columbia Record newspaper begins publication.[8]
- 1899 - Olympia Mill built.
20th century
- 1908 - Main Street paved.[1]
- 1913
- National Corn Show held in city.[2]
- Palmetto Building constructed.
- 1917 - Military Camp Jackson established.
- 1920 - Population: 37,524.
- 1921 - Bethel A.M.E. Church built.
- 1922 - February: Trolley strike.[9]
- 1924 - Town Theatre built.
- 1925 - Part of North Columbia annexed to city.[9]
- 1926-7 - Capital Heights, Hollywood, Kilbourne Park, Rose Hill, and Rosewood annexed to city.[9]
- 1930
- Dreher Shoals Dam begins operating.[2]
- WIS radio begins broadcasting.[17]
- Belk's department store in business.[9]
- 1931 - Carolina Theatre opens.[18]
- 1932 - Thomas Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home (museum) opens.
- 1934 - Richland County Public Library established.
- 1937
- US Courthouse becomes Columbia City Hall.[1]
- Palmetto Theater opens.[9]
- University South Caroliniana Society founded.[19]
- 1939
- 1940
- Lexington County Airport built.
- US military Fort Jackson active.[9]
- Population: 62,396.
- 1941 - Carver Theatre built.
- 1950
- Columbia Museum of Art and Twilite Drive-In cinema[18] open.
- Population: 86,914.
- 1953 - WIS-TV and WNOK-TV (television) begin broadcasting.[20]
- 1958 - Lester Bates becomes mayor.[9]
- 1960 - South Carolina Department of Corrections headquartered in city.
- 1961
- 1963 - Columbia Festival Orchestra founded.
- 1966 - Hammond School founded.[21]
- 1968 - University of South Carolina's Carolina Coliseum opens.
- 1970
- Dutch Square shopping mall in business.
- John Tucker Campbell becomes mayor.[9]
- Population: 112,542.
- 1974
- Riverbanks Zoo opens.[22]
- Shambhala Center founded.[23]
- 1976 - WLTR radio begins broadcasting.[9]
- 1977 - Palmetto Alliance (antinuclear group) founded.[3]
- 1978 - Kirkman Finlay becomes mayor.[9]
- 1979
- Masjid as-Salaam (Muslim center) built.[23]
- Nickelodeon Theater opens.[18]
- Columbia becomes part of Tree City USA.[24]
- 1980 - South Carolina Military Museum established.[16]
- 1981 - Harvest Hope Food Bank established.[25]
- 1983 - Chicora Foundation (historic preservation group) established.[26][16]
- 1984 - Hindu Temple built.[23]
- 1986 - T. Patton Adams becomes mayor.[9]
- 1987 - AT&T Building constructed.
- 1988
- South Carolina State Museum opens in the former location of the vacant Columbia Mills Building.
- University of South Carolina's Koger Center for the Arts built.
- 1990
- 1991 - Sidney Park opens.
- 1992 - Masjid Al-Muslimiin (mosque) built.[23]
- 1993
- Richland County Public Library new main branch building opens.
- Jim Clyburn becomes U.S. representative for South Carolina's 6th congressional district.[27][28]
- 1994 - Sikh Religious Society founded.[23]
- 1996 - City website online.[29][30][31]
- 2000 - January 17: Confederate flag protest.[32]
21st century
- 2001 - Columbia Zen Buddhist Priory founded.[23]
- 2002
- Colonial Center (arena) opens.
- Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority and Ganden Mahayana Buddhist established.[23]
- 2005 - Columbia City Paper begins publication.
- 2007 - Columbia Quadsquad (rollerderby league) formed.
- 2009 - Fort Jackson National Cemetery established.
- 2010
- Stephen K. Benjamin becomes first African-American in city elected mayor.
- Population: 129,272 city;[33] 767,598 metro.
- 2012 - Royster Guano Superfund site cleared of arsenic contamination.
