10.30.2023

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Today’s Forecast

66º | Heavy thunderstorms | 90% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. | Sunset 5:32 p.m.

Culture

What happened when you died in Cola in 1861?

Image courtesy Richland Library/Russell Maxcy Photograph Collection

Not all history is stuff you fall asleep to in fourth-period world geography class. Some of it can keep you up at night.

For this Halloween-y history, we’ve taken a look back at our collaboration with Historic Columbia from 2017 and some of Columbia’s hair-raising history. From funeral portraits to Victorian hair wreaths, there’s plenty to uncover.

Carpenters wore many hats in the late 1800s. | Clipping via The Daily Phoenix and Newspapers.com

Undertaking in the 1800s

So, it’s 1861, and you’re dead. Killed by the common cold and your doctor’s leech treatment. What now? Your family rolls you down to 1440 Main St. (then Richardson Street) on the neighbor’s cart, where Milo Berry’s Furniture and Undertaking business was in full swing.

MH Berry — Image courtesy South Carolina State Museum

Milo was a cabinet maker. And like most cabinet makers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, he also knows his way around a coffin.

Now your family has a choice of coffin: $5 gets them a pine box, $25 gets mahogany, and walnut with a rosewood finish is even pricier. But if they have the money to burn, they might go for the top-of-the-line coffins: the Fisk metallic burial case.

This metal monster comes with a glass plate or a metal door on the top so that folks can check in on you.

What’s next?

If you want a pastoral eternal setting and still have money left over after buying a coffin, you’d probably be taken to Elmwood Cemetery. There are 25,000+ people buried at Elmwood on ~125 acres.

The earliest graves at Elmwood are transplants — the original Potter’s Field, where graves were either unmarked or marked with wooden markers.

More funeral history this way

Events

Monday, Oct. 30

Yoga in the Galleries | Monday, Oct. 30 | 6-7 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St., Columbia | $12-$15 | Begin your week with a restorative beginner’s yoga practice appropriate for all skill levels.

Tuesday, Oct. 31

Not-so-Spooky Halloween Stroll | Tuesday, Oct. 31 | 2-5 p.m. | Richland Library Main, 1431 Assembly St., Columbia | Free | Dress your family in their costumes and head downtown to celebrate Halloween with a trick-or-treat stroll through the library and to participating businesses and organizations in the Main Street District.

Wednesday, Nov. 1

Behind-the-Scenes Tour at The Flutter Wing | Wednesday, Nov. 1 | 5:15-7 p.m. | The Flutter Wing, 1544 Main St., Columbia | $35-$45 | Completed in the fall of 1872, this commercial property has been home to everything from bookstores to beauty salons over the last 151 years, along with the legendary Drake’s Duck-In restaurant.

Thursday, Nov. 2

First Thursday on Main Street | Thursday, Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. | Main Street, Columbia | Free | Enjoy live music from local acts EZ Shakes and Hillmouse in Boyd Plaza as Main Street businesses keep their doors open late.

Friday, Nov. 3

Fall Back Festival | Friday, Nov. 3 | 5:30-9:30 p.m. | Corner of State and Meeting Streets, Columbia | Free | This event celebrates the fall season with live music, art, food, and drinks.

Saturday, Nov. 4

Jam Room Music Festival | Saturday, Nov. 4 | 12-10 p.m. | Downtown Columbia, Main St., Columbia | Free | Jam Room Music Festival returns to Columbia, SC’s Main Street with a diverse line-up of national, regional, and local acts on two stages.

Sunday, Nov. 5

12,000 Year History Park - Native American Lifeways | Sunday, Nov. 5 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | 1120 Fort Congaree Trail, Cayce | Free | Walk the beautiful trails at the 12,000 Year History Park to learn more about how the historic resources of the park are relevant to the lives and culture of Native peoples today, including the Cherokees and Catawbas.

Calendar events here

Click here to have your event featured.

Holiday

Bars

Get into the holiday spirit(s) at these themed pop-ups

Presented by a COLAtoday Partner

A group of people celebrating the season at a holiday pop-up at Publico.

Celebrate the season and spread holiday cheer(s) with friends. | Photo provided by All In Hospitality Columbia

Looking for festive fun this season? Yule want to keep reading. Here are three holiday-themed bars by All In Hospitality popping up in Columbia:

The Vista
Naughty “A Grinch Pop-Up” by Boku Kitchen + Saloon| Nov. 13-Dec. 31 |Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, enjoy a festive cocktail on ice at Boku.

BullStreet District
Miracle on BullStreet at Publico BullStreet | Nov. 20-Dec. 31 |Pro tip: Stop by Segra Park to see the Fireflies Holiday Lights before or after you experience merry miracles at Publico BullStreet.

Five Points
Santa’s Pub at Publico Five Points | Nov. 27-Dec. 31 | The holidays are always a clause for celebration, and Five Points is the perfect place for it.

Each pop-up features:

Instagram-worthy cocktails in festive holiday tiki mugs
Decorations galore
Holiday music
And more

Bring in the holiday at Boku

News Notes

Sports

The No. 13 South Carolina Women’s Soccer team wrapped up their regular season with a 0-0 draw against Florida, marking an undefeated streak in the SEC since 2019. The Gamecocks also tied their program record of eight unbeaten road games. The team now advances to the SEC Tournament in Pensacola, FL.

Traffic

SCDOT is restructuring the Carolina Crossroads project to accelerate the widening of I-26 and I-20 in the Midlands. The updated plan aims for quicker project delivery while continuing utility coordination. Revised project details will be available early next year.

Development

McCrory Construction is moving forward on a new building for Cooperative Electric Energy Utility Supply Inc. in West Columbia, transforming a 247,000-sqft building set for completion by Summer 2024. The project, creating 61 new jobs, includes a heated warehouse and a two-story administrative space. (Columbia Business Report)

Seasonal

Lexington businesses are decorating downtown with 40 scarecrows in the second annual fall competition. Organized by the Lexington Chamber and town, locals can vote for their favorite on Facebook, with an additional winner chosen by judges. (Lexington Chronicle)

State

What do a glass of milk and a Venus flytrap have in common? Both are state symbols. The legislature passed a bill this week, making the Venus flytrap SC’s official carnivorous plant. Venus flytraps are found in the wild only in two places: SC and NC. (The State)

Eat

CITY GRIT in the Vista has introduced Pintxo Hour every Wednesday to Friday, from 4-5:30 p.m. Guests can enjoy a variety of two-bite snacks with each purchase of beer or wine, offering a pre-dinner pairing.

Finance

$300 is the new $200. This card is offering a rare $300 welcome bonus, and bonuses like that don’t come around that often. That’s why thousands are lining up for it. Learn more and apply.*

Home

Prepare for cooler temperatures with fall HVAC maintenance — and don’t leave out your plumbing system and hot water heater (they also need to be checked annually). Enter: Cool Care Heating, Air, Plumbing & Refrigeration‘s preventive plans for HVAC and plumbing.*

Travel

Want to travel the world — without leaving the country? Enter: Greenville, SC, featuring 200+ restaurants downtown (a quarter of which are international), so you can indulge in flavors from around the world. Plan your foodie getaway.*

Try This

Tour de tours

Your ultimate guide to tours of Columbia

Sally Salamander walking tour Columbia SC

Sally Salamander stop five. | photo courtesy Columbia Chamber

Whether you’re a lifelong Columbia longing to embrace your inner tourist, or you have a limited amount of time in the Soda City, here are 20+ tours guaranteed to show you the sights you want to see.

Top Tours

Historic Columbia Foundation Tours | Garden tours are free + house tours are $12 | Available year round | Explore Columbia and Richland County’s intriguing past- through its houses, gardens, along streets, and through the people that shaped who we are today.

History

Anne Frank Center - A History for Today Exhibit | Free | Available year-round | The exhibit explores the life and legacy of Anne Frank by sharing quotes, photos, videos, and original artifacts to represent the experience of Anne’s family as they hid in the Secret Annex.

Outdoors

Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve | Available year-round | A magical place for a hike, this 627-acre preserve features trails that take you past historical canals and earthworks from the Civil War.

17 more tours

City Guide presented by AllSouth Federal Credit Union.

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The Wrap

David Stringer wearing a dark button-down shirt

Today’s edition by:
David

From the editor

I’m hoping that Historic Columbia revives the moonlit tours of Elmwood Cemetery, where they explained much of the imagery and symbols found on many of the markers and headstones. I also have questions about it being called Tickleberry and that it was known as a haunted area before being a cemetery. I’ll remember this next time I’m jogging by at night on the river walk.

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