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Published: March 7th 2008
So, I found out that Eric, our fraternity's traveling Charge consultant, is obsessed with the beautiful upcoming country singer Taylor Swift. He so adores her and the rest of us on the table couldn't help it but look at each other and smile.
Our conversation at our little Japanese dinner continued, ranging from Boston's party scene to our pact of hiking up the Mt. Kilimanjaro sometime in the near future, and our brotherhood in the fraternity has been established once more.
Only a few hours before, I was introduced to Eric and 'Optimus Prime' at the University of South Carolina's beautiful campus, and now four of us sitting on the table represented one strong fraternity from four different colleges across the United States - myself from Iowa State University, Adam (whom I previously have met) from George Washington University, Eric from Pennsylvania State University, and 'Optimus Prime' - our new initiated brother, and the founding father of recolonized Rho Proteron Chapter of our fraternity at the University of South Carolina.
Columbia is the home of University of South Carolina, which was established in 1801. The heart of Old Campus District is the University’s historic Horseshoe - an open
lawn with mature trees and some important monuments, surrounded by ten original campus buildings dated back to 1800s. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in America, as it has seen major events especially in the Civil War era. Today it is still the place to be for USC students and visitors alike, it is a nice park for moseying around, people watching, throwing some Frisbees, or daydreaming aimlessly.
A three hour driving from Atlanta to Columbia in neighboring state of South Carolina is considered as a very close proximity travel in the Deep South. And as a gift to myself and to attend my fraternity’s Charge of Rho Proteron’s installation at University of South Carolina - Columbia, I spend this year’s leap day on the road and visit South Carolina once again.
‘Columbia’ is derived from the poetic name of the famous Spanish Explorer Christopher Columbus, who claimed to ‘discover’ the new land of America. Located in approximate center of State of South Carolina, Columbia is crowned to be the capital of the state after they decided to move the governmental center from coastal Charleston in 1787.
Columbia itself is a surviving city,
Ceiling detail
Inside South Carolina State Capitol.a place where Civil War geeks like me would squeal in delight upon hearing its name.
Just like Sodom-Gomorrah or Pompeii, Columbia’s past literally encompassed a blazing scar - the 1865 ‘Burning of Columbia’. But unlike those three aforementioned cities, the Act of God had nothing to do with it; the Union troops under General Sherman marched into then-surrendered Southern town and destroyed much of the original structures of then Columbia, and left bitterness with the city.
Interestingly, some 143 years later, some disgruntled South Carolina folks would still refer their Northerners brothers as ‘Damn Yankees’ as a phrase, one word has to follow the other as a pair. I would imagine in today’s American current events such as 9/11 or Oklahoma City bombing, the ‘Burning of Columbia’ slogan would have been something like ‘Least we forget’ or ‘I will remember’ that would be carried on to subsequent generations.
I decided to visit the State House as my first destination in Columbia. Unmistakably, it is a notable building; its contrast white color façade against the Carolina blue sky. The damage of the Union troops’ direct cannon hit is still evident on the west façade of the State
House, marked by six bronze stars.
As most of U.S. State Capitol, South Carolina State House shares the characteristic of having a grand dome on top the structure. Obviously, the Confederate flag is no longer flying proudly on top of the rusted copper, but it is still within the State Capitol ground as part of the Confederacy monument. Supposedly, a couple months ago, somebody managed to sneak inside the fenced out flag, and after climbing all his way to the top of the dome, he switched the Stars and Stripes into the Confederacy flag as a prank. Imagine the chaos when one morning, everybody was waking up and saw the Confederacy flag raised up on top of their State House.
The dilemma of whether to experience Columbia by its Civil War importance or its sophisticated exhibition is best resolved by doing both. On the second day in the city, I opted to check out the Columbia Museum of Art on the Main Street, where the ‘Excavating Egypt’ exhibition is occurring. The Museum is waived the admission fee every Saturday, which becomes a major incentive for people who want to save up some money, hence explain my visit.
Cuban War memorial
South Carolina State Capitol. On a different note, I was disappointed to find out that the iconic Finlay Park fountain was turned off. Finlay Park is comprised of manmade waterfalls and lake; a Mecca for any landscape architects around the country. I suppose not every sightseeing plan works for my visit here in Columbia. But overall, Columbia seems to struggle in defining its own identity as state capital, college town and outdoor enthusiasts.
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Sharing the Journey
Alec & Cindy Sharp
My home town ...
I always enjoy reading what other think of my home town. I enjoyed reading your blog!