The W.M. Waters Building in the Florence Downtown Historic District, Florence, SC
HelloFlorenceSC Archive

THE FLORENCE FILES

The people. The places. The moments. The stories that made Florence.

Some of these stories you'll remember living through. Some happened before you got here. All of them shaped the Florence you know today.

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Hero photo: The W.M. Waters Building, downtown Florence — Jerrye & Roy Klotz, M.D. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Every installment of The Florence Files is filed under one of these. Tap a category to filter the stories below.

Installments

The stories

Start anywhere, or read in order. This archive grows — check back for the next installment.

Magnolia Mall exterior, Florence, South Carolina
1970s
Installment 1

1979: The Year Florence Moved West

Magnolia Mall and a new McLeod Regional Medical Center reshaped Florence in a single year.

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Hockey game at Florence Center with crowded stands, players on ice in blue jerseys, and spectators cheering.
People
Installment 3

Florence Had Pro Hockey. Now It Does Again.

Eight years of the Pee Dee Pride, two decades of empty ice, and the IceCats' return to the same building.

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The W.M. Waters Building in the Florence Downtown Historic District, Florence, SC
Lost Florence
Installment 2

The Drunk Too Far Gone to Be Saved: How Downtown Florence Came Back

From "too far gone to be saved" to the best Main Street in America.

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Severely damaged houses in a residential area after a hurricane
Weather
Installment 4

Before Hugo, After Hugo

Riding out September 22, 1989 at Francis Marion College — and the timestamp a whole generation still uses.

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A historical plaque stands on the grounds of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (or just the Old Stone Church) in Beaverton, Ontario.
Places
Installment 5

The Hotel That Started Florence, and the Fight That Made It Famous

The railroad hotel that launched a city, the 1865 skirmish at its door, and the 2023 dig that found its foundation.

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More installments coming

The Florence Files is an ongoing archive. New stories are added as they're written.

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