Editing Columbia, South Carolina (section)

===Designation as state capital===
After the [[American Revolutionary War]] and United States independence, State Senator [[John Lewis Gervais]] of the town of [[Ninety Six, South Carolina|Ninety Six]] introduced a bill that was approved by the legislature on March 22, 1786, to create a new state capital. Considerable argument occurred over the name for the new city. According to published accounts, Senator Gervais said he hoped that "in this town we should find refuge under the wings of [[Columbia (name)|COLUMBIA]]", for that was the name which he wished it to be called. One legislator insisted on the name "Washington", but "Columbia" won by a vote of 11–7 in the state senate.

[[File:Monument marking original SC State House, Columbia IMG 4777.JPG|thumb|left|Monument marking site of original South Carolina State House, designed and built from 1786 to 1790 by [[James Hoban]]. It burned at the end of the Civil War in 1865.]]
The site was chosen as the new state capital in 1786 due to its central location in the state. The State Legislature first met there in 1790. After remaining under the direct government of the legislature for the first two decades of its existence, Columbia was incorporated as a village in 1805 and then as a city in 1854.

Columbia received a large stimulus to development when it was connected in a direct water route to [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] by the [[Santee Canal]]. This connected the Santee and Cooper rivers in a {{convert|22|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} section. It was first chartered in 1786 and completed in 1800, making it one of the earliest canals in the United States. With competition later from faster railroad traffic, it ceased operation around 1850.

The commissioners designed a town of 400 blocks in a {{convert|2|mi|km|adj=on|0}} square along the river. The blocks were divided into lots of {{convert|0.5|acre|m2}} and sold to speculators and prospective residents. Buyers had to build a house at least {{convert|30|ft|m}} long and {{convert|18|ft|m}} wide within three years, or face an annual 5% penalty. The perimeter streets and two through streets were {{convert|150|ft|m}} wide. The remaining squares were divided by thoroughfares {{convert|100|ft|m}} wide. As the capital and one of the first [[planned community|planned cities]] in the United States, Columbia began to grow rapidly. Its population was nearing 1,000 shortly after the start of the 19th century.

[[File:South_Carolina_Governor%27s_Mansion,_800_Richland_St.,_columbia_(Richland_County,_South_Carolina).JPG|thumb|right|[[South Carolina Governor's Mansion]], built 1855]]

The commissioners constituted the local government until 1797, when a Commission of Streets and Markets was created by the General Assembly. Three main issues occupied most of their time: public drunkenness, gambling, and poor sanitation.