As the years roll by, and we prepare for yet another with the ringing in of 2008, now is a good time to reflect on the last 100 years. Here are just a few statistics for Orangeburg County and the U.S. in 1907.
Education
During the 1906-07 school year, there were 4,995 schools in the state with a total enrollment of 314,399 students, according to the official state publication, "South Carolina Handbook of 1908."
Total white enrollment in Orangeburg County, which for the school year included Calhoun County, was 5,241 students. Average daily attendance in the country schools was 2,672 and 1,708 in the towns.
Black enrollment in the county schools for the year was 10,528 students. Average daily attendance in the black country schools was 6,340 and 2,840 in the town schools.
Private schools and colleges in Orangeburg included The Orangeburg Collegiate Institute, Claflin College (now Claflin University) and State Colored College (now S.C. State University).
Breaking free
In 1907, Calhoun County was formed out of parts of Orangeburg and Lexington counties, as proposed by citizens wanting to honor the influential South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun. According to a Times and Democrat report, an overwhelming majority of voters approved the measure, with a total 559 votes for, versus 102 votes against, forming Calhoun County.
That was then ...
Sewing machines, new and used -- $5-$15
Skirts -- $1.24
Towels -- $0.19
Bedspreads -- $0.69
Handkerchiefs -- $0.08
Hair curlers -- $0.04
Wool blankets -- $2.50
Art table and couch covers -- $0.50-$6.50
Men's ties -- $0.25-$0.50
Loaf of bread -- $0.05
Gallon of milk -- $0.31
Hershey bar -- $0.05
Stamp -- $0.02
Sugar -- $0.04 a pound
Eggs -- $0.14 a dozen
Coffee -- $0.15 a pound
Car -- $500
House -- $4,500
Average household income -- $897 a year
Unemployment rate -- 2.8 percent
The U.S. in 1907
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th U.S. president, serving from Sept. 14, 1901, to March 4, 1909.
The discovery of new oil fields in Texas caused the price of gasoline to drop between 18 and 22 cents per U.S. gallon. At the same time, alcohol fuel prices skyrocketed to around 25 to 30 cents per U.S. gallon.
Louis Lumiere invented color photography.
Katharine Hepburn was born.
"Ben Hur" was the year's most popular movie.
The average life expectancy was 47.6 years.
14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage was 22 cents per hour.
The population of the country was 87,008,000.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no official Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Dec. 31 -- For the first time, a ball was dropped at Times Square to signal the new year.