Locally Grown, Making History Known: The Carrie Phillips Story by Haley Sprankle

“A community’s history is the foundation for everything that happens there.”

This simple, yet important concept of a city built on its history comes from Carrie Phillips, the Director of Marketing and Communications for Historic Columbia.

“As Director of Marketing and Communications, I am responsible for making sure that the public is aware of all the great work that Historic Columbia does, including our programs, special events, museums, tours, and preservation and advocacy work,” Phillips explains.

Phillips began working with Historic Columbia back in October of 2012. “The mission of Historic Columbia is to preserve, promote, and protect the history of Columbia and Richland County,” Phillips elaborates. “So how do we do that? Through an intense and comprehensive lineup of museums, programs, events, and initiatives that explore the diverse viewpoints and histories that make up the fabric of our community.”

One of such events sponsored by Historic Columbia coming up is The Palladium Society’s 17th annual Chili Cook-Off this Saturday, February 21. “We’ve changed it up a little for 2015 by moving it from the fairgrounds to the Music Farm. We’ve got three bands this year, including the Capital City Playboys, one of my personal favorites, and 25 teams trying to earn chili glory,” Phillips says. “We even tied this into the citywide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Burning of Columbia and asked folks to use that as inspiration for their chilis.”
While Columbia’s history is rich, as is Phillip’s own history with Columbia. “My roots are deep here—I am a Columbia native, born and raised, with two degrees from the University of South Carolina. This city has been amazingly good to me. It gave me a great education, a fulfilling career, and the best friends and colleagues a girl can have, so I’m very proud that I get to promote the history and culture of Columbia as part of my job now,” Phillips says.

In between promoting and planning for upcoming Historic Columbia events, Phillips may be found at Drip with a medium skim latte, complete with a scoop of raw sugar, rereading her favorite high school book Pride and Prejudice.

“Columbia’s history informs decisions that affect the people who live her every day, so to really understand and be a part of your community, you need the historical context,” Phillips says.

Check out historiccolumbia.org or their Facebook page for details on what Historic Columbia has to offer!