[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 51 (Tuesday, May 3, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
       THE SOUTH CAROLINA NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR ACT OF 1994

                                 ______


                          HON. BUTLER DERRICK

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 1994

  Mr. DERRICK. Mr. Speaker, I have introduced a bill to provide for the 
establishment of the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor. The 
purpose of this legislation is to focus on the national importance of 
the historic, ethnic, religious, artistic, agricultural, and industrial 
traditions of this region.
  The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, which encompasses 14 
counties along 700 miles of South Carolina's western border, is dotted 
with unique areas which reflect South Carolina's important historical 
southern culture, much of which is tucked away in quiet rural 
communities. By preserving and enhancing the rich flavor of our 
American heritage and the southern culture that flourishes throughout 
this corridor, we can attract visitors, new residents, and expand 
businesses.
  The corridor begins in Charleston, one of the most cosmpolitan cities 
before 1860, and follows the old South Carolina railroad, the longest 
railroad in the world when it was completed in 1831, to Aiken County. 
Located in Aiken County's Horsecreek Valley, where the State's textile 
industry was born during the 1830's, is the 150-year-old Graniteville 
Mill and the original homes surrounding it. Graniteville became a model 
for the textile industry which spread throughout the corridor.
  The corridor includes the town of Edgefield's turn-of-the-century 
newspaper office and livery. In the 1820's, Edgfield County was the 
origin of the famous alkaline-glazed stoneware which eventually spread 
throughout the South. Produced as utilitarian storage ware, today 
Edgfield pottery is a highly-prized collectible.
  Other towns included in this corridor have been a part of history for 
the past three centuries. Towns such as Abbeville which has turn-of-
the-century Victorian architecture, the famous Opera House and the 
Belmont Hotel built in the early 20th century, will represent windows 
to the past. The town of Pendleton which is on the National Register of 
Historic Places, with its 200-year-old village green will also be 
included in the corridor.
  These small towns lead to Anderson County, now a major center of the 
State's textile industry. The proposed legislation will include the 
many traditional and historical textile sites and end at the foothills 
of the Appalachian Mountains.
  Support for this legislation has been exhibited by the efforts of the 
South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, the South 
Carolina Department of Archives and History, the Strom Thurmond 
Institute, the South Carolina Development Board, and the Governor's 
Office. Other State and Federal agencies such as the National Endowment 
for Humanities, and the National Folklife Center at the Library of 
Congress are also supporters.
  There are so many historic areas in this corridor. The local towns 
and communities in the counties of Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, 
Bamberg, Orangeburg, Barnwell, Aiken, Edgfield, McCormick, Greenwood, 
Abbeville, Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee have all worked very hard to 
preserve their individual landmarks. This corridor will tie together 
these individual kernels of the past and provide an understanding of 
the State's history and development of its natural, cultural, and 
historic assets. It will provide visitors and residents the choices of 
walking, biking, and driving through this historic area as well as 
protect the significance of this area for generations to come.

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