This year, the Chamber is celebrating 100 years of service, leadership, and business development in the Dorchester County region.  Our members and guests joined us for our Centennial Celebration Under the Oaks of Middleton Place.

The celebration was a time to reflect on the rich history of the Chamber and to cast a vision for the future of our region. 

Part of the planning for the event, the Chamber team sifted through decades worth of history to compile details on some of the most impactful work of the Chamber during the last 100 years. 

On April 26, 1922, the Summerville Business Men’s League voted to become the Summerville Chamber of Commerce

In 1925, a contest was sponsored by the Summerville Chamber and Mrs. Walter Bailey submitted the winning slogan of Summerville, the Flower Town in the Pines. She received a grand prize of $5.00.

In 1950, in an effort to increase tourist traffic through Summerville, the Chamber was deeply involved in the routing of highway traffic over Route 64 in the north and south directions. This later changed to Highway 17A.

As a way to support year-round tourism, on November 18, 1951, the Summerville Chamber successfully sponsored the opening of a year-long golf course that is now the Summerville Country Club.

On January 11, 1955, a Blue Card Committee hosted by the Chamber was formed for the purpose of charging “out of town peddlers” a minimum license fee of $25.

In 1956, the Summerville Chamber signed a petition to increase teacher pay.

In 1964, the Summerville Chamber helped find a location for a Special Needs Children’s Hospital which is now currently named the Coastal Center.

In 1975, the Summerville Chamber presented the Town of Summerville with the first ever official flag.

In April 1981, six Welcome Signs were paid for and installed at the city limits.

On December 9, 1981, the Summerville Chamber unanimously endorsed the expansion of Trident Regional Hospital.

On March 24, 2000, the Chamber celebrated the grand opening of the Summerville Visitor Center.

In 2004, the Chamber lead the campaign which lead to a successful referendum to widen 22 roads in Summerville and Dorchester County.

On January 16, 2009, the Chamber successfully launched the Leadership Dorchester Program.

The Chamber continues to convene conversations and engage the community on topics such as infrastructure, education, workforce development and tourism.

The photo gallery is courtesy of Anna Bright Eyed Photography. The graphics for the event were provided by Will Rizzo, The Editor/Creative Director at Azalea Magazine.   The historic car was provided by Bell and Beau: The Vintage Trucks.

And the Chamber would like to extend a sincere thank you to our sponsors:

AllCare Living Services, Inc. the PHOTO STATION SPONSOR

Coastal Coffee Roasters, Inc. the COMMEMORATIVE GIFT SPONSOR

HDR Inc. the DESSERT TABLE SPONSOR

UniFirst Corporation - Location 277 the BEVERAGE STATION SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSORS

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina 

First National Bank of South Carolina 

Home Telecom

REV Federal Credit Union

Volvo Car USA

SILVER SPONSORS

Charleston Southern University 

Jarrard, Nowell & Russell, LLC

Pinnacle Financial Partners

State Farm Insurance - Tony Pope Agent

Trident Technical College

BRONZE SPONSORS

AT&T

Miler Properties, Inc. BRONZE SPONSOR

Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, P.A.  BRONZE SPONSOR