For nearly a century before the creation of Columbia by the General Assembly in 1786, the site of Columbia was important to the overall development of the state.The Congarees, a frontier fort on the west bank of the Congaree River, was the head of navigation in the Santee River system. A ferry was established by the colonial government in 1754 to connect the fort with the growing settlements on the higher ground on the east bank. State Senator John Lewis Gervais of Ninety Six introduced a bill that was approved by the legislature on March 22, 1786 to create a new state capital. Columbia received its first charter as a town in 1805. An intendent and six wardens would govern the town. John Taylor was the first elected intendent. He later served in both houses of the General Assembly, both houses of Congress and eventually as governor of the state. By 1816, there were 250 homes in the town and a population over 1,000.

In 1934, the federal courthouse at Main and Laurel was purchased by the city, and in 1937, it officially became Columbia City Hall. Built of granite from nearby Winnsboro, Columbia City Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Alfred Bult Mullett, President Ulysses S. Grant's federal architect, the building was completed in 1875. Mullet, best known for his design of the Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., had originally designed the building with a clock tower. Large cost overruns probably caused it to be left out. Copies of Mullet's original drawings can be seen on the walls of City Hall alongside historic photos of Columbia's beginnings.

Originally begun in 1960 as Fort Jackson Federal Credit Union, AllSouth Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative, owned and operated by its 110,000 members. The members elect a volunteer Board of Directors who govern the credit union and serve without pay. Every member has one vote, regardless of how much he or she has in shares. All Members profit -- individually and collectively. With more than $720 million in assets, AllSouth Federal Credit Union is committed to a philosophy of 'people helping people' by providing quality service, as a primary financial institution that assists its members in meeting their financial goals. AllSouth Federal Credit Union was organized under strict regulatory laws that are monitored and enforced by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), an agency of the U.S. Government.

Since 2004, Recon Sportswear has been the "t-shirt guys" to the soldiers here at Fort Jackson. Their guiding principle has always been to employ the "core values" at every opportunity with soldiers and civilians alike. 

They work with each U.S. Army Basic Combat Training unit at Fort Jackson, helping them to design artwork for their "Platoon Shirts". This artwork helps commemorate the beginning of their Army career and ensures that they will never forget their BCT battle buddies.