South Carolina Hall Of Fame: Mary C. Simms Oliphant

The granddaughter of eminent Southern novelist and South Carolina Hall of Fame inductee William Gilmore Simms, Oliphant was born in Barnwell and began working in history in 1916 after her graduation from the College for Women in Columbia. During nearly sixty-five years her history books were studied under several different titles, and nine separate editions were published for third grade students. She also wrote biographies and because of her historical research, she was named director of the State Public Library Association in 1954. In 1971, she received an honorary degree from the University of South Carolina.