South Carolina: The Palmetto State

South Carolina: The Palmetto State — page 1
INTRODUCTION Smiling Faces Beautiful Places is the motto on license plates in South Carolina and a state so rich in history and culture gives residents much to smile about As one of the original 13 colonies that formed the United States South Carolina has a long fascinating history South Carolina also is the location of many beautiful places A part of the Deep South the state has a varied landscape and a warm climate Its mountains and seashore attract many tourists In fact Myrtle Beach is one of the nation’s top vacation spots drawing millions of visitors annually One of South Carolina’s most visited historical attractions is Charleston’s Magnolia Plantation and Its Gardens It was founded more than 325 years ago Within its grounds are a tropical garden waterfowl refuge and wildlife preserve 4 SOUTH CAROLINA The popular Grand Strand is a 60-mile stretch of white-sand beach that runs along the South Carolina coast from Little River to Georgetown South Carolina is called the Palmetto State named for the distinctive tree that grows along the state’s coast The state flag is based on one created in 1775 during the American Revolution by Colonel William Moultrie for his troops His flag featured a crescent which represented the silver emblems on the soldiers caps Later a palmetto tree was added to the center of the flag to represent the brave defense of the palmetto-log fort on Sullivan’s Island by Moultrie and his troops