South Carolina Palmetto Tree Pin

Represent your beloved State of South Carolina, or your South Carolina ancestor. These pins are beautifully detailed and made to last!

Although the Palmetto tree didn’t originate in the “Palmetto State” (South Carolina), it’s one of the states most iconic trees.

Palmetto logs and palm fronds were building materials for …

Represent your beloved State of South Carolina, or your South Carolina ancestor. These pins are beautifully detailed and made to last!

Although the Palmetto tree didn’t originate in the “Palmetto State” (South Carolina), it’s one of the states most iconic trees.

Palmetto logs and palm fronds were building materials for the native peoples along the South Carolina coast starting in pre-colonial times. In 1776 the trees were written into the state’s history in a more prominent way when they absorbed the blows of British cannonballs at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island–where the spongy trees would help with impact.

It was almost a century until the tree landed on the state flag, in 1861. While Charleston had adopted the nickname “The Palmetto City” as early as the 1830s, the tree didn’t become a visual icon until it was used as a symbol of the state’s independence in the run-up to secession.