Did you know that you can keyword search every issue of The Daily Gamecock student newspaper back to 1908? Or that you can dig through every Garnet and Black yearbook that was ever printed? Or that hundreds of manuscript collections are available to dig through inside the South Caroliniana Library? Or that at least 31 books, articles and theses (and counting) have already been written about South Carolina College — our campus precursor before the Civil War?
As our University Historian, part of my job is to make sure students know that they are earning their degree on a campus that is also a historic site. So much history has happened here, and luckily for us, there have been many students, professors and journalists who have taken an interest in USC’s vast history and written about it. There have also been generations of librarians here who have documented and digitized important collections for anyone to access. These sources are vast, but sometimes, students don’t know where to begin or where to look as they begin their own research into USC’s history.
I’m here to help! Since I began my role as University Historian last year, I’ve been finding and reading everything I can find that’s ever been created about the history of the University of South Carolina. And let me tell you — it’s a lot. As I waded through the huge amount of primary and secondary sources about USC, I began compiling everything into a document. And now, that document is available for anyone who needs a jumpstart onto any topic about USC’s history.
The USC Research Guide is now available through University Libraries. In this article, I wanted to describe it in detail so that students know where and how to start any project related to USC history. I’ve fielded countless questions from students asking for help, telling me that they don’t know where to start researching the Maxcy Monument or the USC Smokestack. Well, now there’s a one-stop-shop website to go to that will help anyone at any stage of their project!
When you click on the research guide, you’ll notice a bibliography at the top, a section of primary sources, and several sections of secondary sources divided into multiple eras. First, a real quick lesson on the difference between primary and secondary sources — primary sources are eyewitness accounts, and secondary sources are non-eyewitness accounts. For example, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is a primary source. He was there at Gettysburg. A historian publishing a book about the Gettysburg Address in 2025 would be a secondary source. The historian was not at Gettysburg.
I’ll come back to the bibliography at the top of the research guide later. First, let me describe the section on primary sources. Here, I’ve listed the most popular and relevant online databases that store huge amounts of helpful sources about USC history. There’s the student newspaper, along with The State newspaper (back to 1891) and the Post and Courier (back to 1873). There are oral history interviews, films and a huge amount of material under digital collections. There’s also a link to the Walker Local and Family History Center at Richland Library that includes many records about USC history. Just click on a database, enter your search keywords and voilà!
Keep scrolling down, and you’ll discover some of the crucial books and articles (secondary sources) about USC history. Many books have been written about USC history. For students just setting off on a topic, a solid way to begin is to check out these books and see what scholars have already written. For example, many students are interested (as they should be) in Professor Richard T. Greener, whose statue stands right outside the Thomas Cooper Library. Students should start with Dr. Katherine Chaddock’s biography of Greener, as well as Dr. Tyler Parry and Dr. Robert Greene’s edited collection "Invisible No More."
And lastly, don’t forget to check the bibliography of USC History PDF at the top of the research guide. As of right now, this document is 35 pages long — that’s 35 pages listing and detailing a multitude of sources related to USC’s long history. As I mentioned, many people have spent decades researching and publishing about USC history, and students today would benefit from finding what has already been produced. Open the PDF, hit CTRL+F and search for what you’re looking for. You may be happily surprised at what you’ll find that will help your own project.
As you explore USC’s history, I hope this guide helps you see our campus in a new way. Have fun searching, just don’t waste too much time going through all those amazing old photographs of the Horseshoe from long ago.