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“W” is for Walhalla

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“W” is for Walhalla, a town in Oconee County [population 3,801].  Founded in 1850, Walhalla drew its name [pronounced VALHALLA] from the Norse mythology and means “Garden of the Gods.” The earliest settlers were German immigrants who were members of the German Colonization Society who purchased thousands of acres in Pickens District and established the little town. Located on a ridge at the foot of Stumphouse Mountain, St. John’s Lutheran Church was one of the first buildings in the attractive village of four hundred. During the Civil War the town became a haven for lowcountry refugees. In 1868, with the creation of Oconee County, Walhalla was selected as the new county's seat. Known as the gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Walhalla has maintained a steady population, but the German influence of its founding residents has all but disappeared.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.