Historic Confederate States Building to be Saved
The following article was submitted to the SCV Dispatch on February 6, 2003 by Tom Elmore, a member of the Gen. Wade Hampton SCV Camp # 273 in Columbia, SC.
A Columbia, SC building built in 1863 by a Charleston printing firm to print Confederate Stamps and coins will be saved. Properly called "The Confederate Printing Plant," though many (most of the PC) also refer to it as the dispensary building, The State newspaper reported this morning that the city of Columbia, SC will help finance the conversion of the structure into an upscale grocery store.
The building was destroyed by Sherman, but was rebuilt after the war, and used mainly as a warehouse. It has set vacant for decades. There have been several attempts to turn it into an inn, restaurant and offices, but none of them ever panned out due to the condition of the building and its status as a historic landmark.
The building is unique in that it is one of the few buildings ever built to serve the needs of the Confederate government. Alas, the printing equipment is long gone. Some of it was thrown into the river prior to Sherman's arrival, while some was buried in wells upstate.
Tom Elmore
