The 1920’s saw the rise of John T. Woodside as one of the wealthiest men in the state of South Carolina. His success in cotton mills, banking, investments, and the hospitality industry within Greenville meant he was financially secure enough to…

Christ Church came to be largely as a result of Vardry McBee, known as the “Father of Greenville,” a businessman who created downtown Greenville when he built a number of mills and business in the city. McBee gave land for the creation of the first…

Harvey Gantt was the first African American student to enroll at Clemson, entering the University in January 1963. Harvey Gantt’s enrollment itself was a difficult situation, led by civil rights lawyer Matthew Perry. Anti-black feeling in South…

Riggs Field as it stands today is the home for Clemson Men’s and Women’s Soccer. It is quite often known as ‘Historic’ Riggs Field, due to its history, but its history is often forgotten in-between other bits of Clemson history. Riggs Field was the…

Susan Clemson Richardson was born into slavery at Fort Hill around 1828. Both her mother, Daphne, and her father, Bill Lawrence, were enslaved by the Calhouns. Her mother worked in the Fort Hill Plantation House as a wet nurse to her enslaver’s first…

Fike Recreation was originally named the "Clemson Field House" opened in 1930. The Facility was renamed after Rupert Fike, a renowned doctor and Clemson Alumnus, in 1966. The name was then officially changed to Fike Recreation Center in 1971. Fike…