The Santee Canal: South Carolina's First Commercial Highway

by Elizabeth Connor, Richard Dwight Porcher Jr., William Robert Judd

Overview

A history of one of America's earliest canals and its impact on the people of the South Carolina Lowcountry

Completed in 1800, the Santee Canal provided the first inland navigation route from the Upcountry of the South Carolina Piedmont to the port of Charleston and the Atlantic Ocean. By connecting the Cooper, Santee, Congaree, and Wateree rivers, the engineered waterway transformed the lives of many in the state and affected economic development in the Southeast region of the newly formed United States. In The Santee Canal, authors Elizabeth Connor, Richard Dwight Porcher Jr., and William Robert Judd provide an authoritative and richly illustrated history of one of America's first canals.

Connor, Porcher, and Judd tell a comprehensive story of the canal's origins and history. Never-before published historical plans and maps, photographs from personal archives and field research, and technical drawings enhance the text, allowing readers to appreciate the development, evolution, and effect of the Santee Canal on the land and the people of South Carolina.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643364728
Publisher:	University of South Carolina Press
Publication date:	06/13/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	21 MB
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About the Author

Elizabeth Connor is professor emerita of general education at The Citadel.

Richard Dwight Porcher Jr. is professor emeritus of biology at The Citadel.

William Robert Judd is a self-taught draftsman/artist, archaeologist, and historian, retired from the US Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR).

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A detailed and thoroughly researched and meticulously written book, The Santee Canal adds an overlooked but important chapter in the economic evolution from horse-drawn wagons to railroads.

— Thomas Dewey Wise, attorney, author, master naturalist

Meticulously researched, The Santee Canal sheds new light on the engineering feats and cultural impact of the canal, from the role of the enslaved in its construction to the biography of its brilliant chief designer.

— Christina Rae Butler, professor, historic preservation, American College of Building Arts, Charleston, SC, and author of Lowcountry at High Tide: A History of Flooding, Drainage, and Reclamation in Charleston, South Carolina