This building would have been very modern 60 years ago, but what is it today? Send your guess to: feedback@statehousereport.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our previous Mystery Photo
Our Aug. 10 mystery was the gazebo, or bandstand, built in Charleston’s Hampton Park for the S.C. Inter-State and West Indian Exposition of 1901-02.
Interestingly, no Charleston residents guessed the mystery in their backyard. But hats off to these sleuths: Steve Willis of Lancaster; Philip Cromer of Beaufort; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Jean Prothro, Jay Altman and Val Valenta, all of Columbia, S.C.; Don Clark of Hartsville; and Greg W. Anderson of Edgefield.
First-time submitter Anderson shared that he loves Statehouse Report and always takes a quiet guess at the Mystery Photo, but said he only sent his first guess in last week. If you’re guessing, but not submitting, let us know what you think the mystery is. We’d love to hear from you. (If you miss, we won’t let people know of the error!)
Cromer supplied some background: The gazebo, or bandstand, was “erected for the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition which occurred from Dec.1, 1901, until May 31, 1902. This exposition was visited by President Teddy Roosevelt.
“Hampton Park was originally Orange Grove Plantation owned by a Gibbes, and later became the site of Washington Race Course owned by the South Carolina Jockey Club. The property was deeded to the Charleston Library Society which leased it for the Exposition. Later, it was purchased by the City of Charleston for a park and named for General/Governor Wade Hampton.”
Graf provided some other interesting information about the land that now is a 60-acre park. “ According to charlestondaily.net:
- “From 1792 – 1900, Hampton Park was a horse racing track called Washington Race Track. It was started by the South Carolina Jockey Club. Though the track was historically closed in 1900, the last race was in 1877 due to the damage caused by the Civil War.
- “During the Civil War, the land was used as a prisoner of war camp for Union Soldiers being moved from Andersonville, Georgia to Florence, South Carolina. Over 200 died due to illness and are buried in unmarked graves near the parking lot on the Wagoner Terrance side.
- “In 1901, several businessmen decided to hold a regional trade exposition in Charleston and bought the land from the Charleston Library Society for part of the grounds. The Expo was considered a failure by many but in 1902 Teddy Roosevelt came to the event and one year, the actual Liberty Bell made an appearance. Officially called the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition, this event brought new business to Charleston including the American Cigar Company and United Fruit Company.
- “The Boston Bean Eaters (today known as the Atlanta Braves) held two weeks of spring training in the park in 1905, and lost to the Detroit Tigers.
- “Mr. Archer Huntington donated $1000 and a collection of exotic animals from his personal collection at Brookgreen Gardens to get a zoo started in 1932. zoo included lions, bears, and native species in a series of big chain link cages located between the current bandstand and the Cleveland Street entrance. By 1972, the zoo was in such bad condition, it was deemed in violation of new federal codes of animal welfare treatment and was soon closed.”
Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!