Charleston
Charleston's historic houses, churches, the Battery, the harbor and Fort Sumter appear on many cards. Printed views of landmarks are common. Real photos of street life, the markets, the waterfront, the navy yard and neighborhoods are more interesting. The South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition of 1901 and 1902 in Charleston produced cards collected by exposition specialists. The 1886 earthquake predates postcards, but later cards reference it.
Textile mills
The Upstate became one of the great textile regions of the South, with mills in Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Rock Hill, Columbia and hundreds of smaller places, each surrounded by a mill village. Real photos of mills, workers and mill villages are collected by labor historians and families with mill roots, and many villages were photographed only a few times.
Cotton and tobacco
Cotton market towns in the Midlands and Pee Dee had gins, warehouses and busy main streets on market days. Tobacco markets in towns such as Mullins and Lake City drew farmers each fall. Real photos of cotton wagons, gins and tobacco sales are collected.
The Lowcountry
The Lowcountry's former rice plantations, sea islands, oyster factories and fishing villages appear on cards. Gullah communities on the sea islands were photographed, and cards with identified people and places are historically significant. Beaufort's streets and waterfront are popular.
The Grand Strand
Myrtle Beach grew from a small resort in the early twentieth century to a major beach destination after World War II. Early cards of the Seaside Inn, the pavilion and the beach are more collectible than later chrome motel cards.
Places and subjects to look for
- Charleston: street life, markets, the waterfront and the navy yard.
- The Upstate: Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson and mill villages.
- Columbia: the capitol, the university and mills.
- The Pee Dee: tobacco markets and cotton towns.
- The Lowcountry: Beaufort, sea islands and plantations.
- The Grand Strand: early Myrtle Beach and coastal towns.
- Courthouse towns in county seats across the state.
Railroads
The Southern Railway, the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard served South Carolina's towns, and depots were the center of small-town life. Depot real photos with trains and people are collected.
Military
Camp Jackson near Columbia, Camp Sevier near Greenville and Camp Wadsworth near Spartanburg were World War I training camps, and Parris Island became a Marine Corps recruit depot. Real photos of camp life are collected by military collectors.
Real photos versus printed views
Charleston landmarks, Fort Sumter and later Myrtle Beach chromes were printed in quantity. Real photos of mill villages, cotton and tobacco towns, the Lowcountry and small towns carry most of the value in a South Carolina collection.
What is common
Printed Charleston houses, churches, the Battery and later chrome beach and motel cards are plentiful.
Why mill village real photos matter
South Carolina's mill villages were tight-knit communities, and many were sold off or demolished after the mills closed in the late twentieth century. Real photo postcards made by local photographers are often the only images of the mills, the workers and the villages in their busiest years. Families, historians and collectors seek them, which is why a plain real photo of a mill village can be important.
Disasters and events
South Carolina real photographers recorded hurricanes on the coast, floods on the rivers, fires in mill towns and the 1908 flood in the Upstate, along with parades, county fairs and Confederate veterans' reunions. Event real photos from identified towns are prized.
Questions about South Carolina postcards
Are South Carolina mill village postcards valuable? Real photos of mills, workers and villages are collected and historically significant.
Are old Charleston postcards worth anything? Common printed views are modest; real photos of street life and the waterfront are more collectible.
Are early Myrtle Beach postcards collectible? Early views of the pavilion and first hotels are more interesting than later chromes.
Do you buy South Carolina collections? Yes, complete collections from anywhere in the state, by mail.