South Carolina was destined to become a Euro- 

 pean base in 1629 when a charter was granted to 

 Sir Robert Heath by Charles I. There was no 

 permanent English settlement in the area until 

 1663 when Charles II gave to eight of his favorites 

 all the land from the Virginia borders to well 

 within the perimeters of Florida. These Lords 

 proprietor were authorized to legislate and govern 

 the territory called "Carolina" and with the aid of 

 the great philosopher John Locke, they wrote the 

 Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina. 



An English settlement appeared on Albemarle 

 point on the Ashley River in 1670 and was soon 

 moved to the neck of land between the Ashley 

 and Cooper Rivers. This new settlement was 

 called Charles Town after the monarch who gen- 

 erated its establishment. It was later renamed 

 Charleston, a now busy and affluent commercial 

 port. 



Although rice became the colony's first staple 

 crop, tobacco culture was not uncommon. Through- 

 out the state's history, tobacco grew and grew in 

 importance. 



Today, tobacco is the state's number one cash 

 crop supporting thousands of families in farming, 

 marketing, transportation and other industries re- 

 lated to the important tobacco culture. 



From the Albemarle settlement to today, to- 

 bacco has had an important impact on the econ- 

 omy of South Carolina; an impact so important 

 that it has brought the crop to "number one" in 

 South Carolina— a position that will remain stead- 

 fast for a long time to come. 



