In the 1920s, residents in some states were having a high percentage of thyroid problems called Goiters. Doctors and scientist recognized that the thyroid gland is dependent upon Iodine and an Iodine Deficiency was causing the Goiters. The soil in South Carolina is rich in Iodine. Fruits and vegetables grown in South Carolina have a higher percentage of iodine than in other regions. The South Carolina Natural Resources Commission began a national campaign to promote South Carolina’s healthy products such as vegetables, fruit and milk. Welcoming signs were put up, Welcome to South Carolina, the Iodine State. Billboards were erected, posters were made and flyers were mailed to promote South Carolina as “The Iodine State.” Even moonshine makers advertised their brand with the slogan, Not a Goiter in a Gallon. WIS AM Radio in Columbia started broadcasting on 10 July 1930. They selected Call Letters of WIS that stood for Wonderful Iodine State recognizing the great amount of iodine in the South Carolina soil which helped to prevent goiters in the State’s population. WIS television later shared the Call Letters.
Beginning in 1917, South Carolina required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates. In 1930-1933, the word Iodine appeared on South Carolina license plates as Iodine, The Iodine State and The Iodine Product State. It was one of the earliest examples of a motto being placed on a plate and was a part of a marketing strategy by the agricultural commission. Prison inmates at the Department of Corrections made the South Carolina license plates. In 1924, the federal government asked Morton Salt Company in Michigan to add iodine to their salt. Eventually, iodine was readily available throughout the nation and South Carolina could no longer claim a monopoly on iodine.
The Iodine State was forgotten and we became the Palmetto State. Proud owners of the most beautiful flag of the 50 states. The roots of the South Carolina Flag are deep in symbolism. Colonel William Moultrie designed the South Carolina Flag in 1775 for the Revolutionary War. He created the flag to be in uniform with the militia. He chose the indigo blue of their uniforms for the flag background color and the crescent taken from the militia’s cap insignia. The crescent likely represented a gorget. A metal plate that covered and protected the throat of men in medieval warfare and later became a symbol on military uniforms. The Palmetto Tree was added to the Flag in 1861 as a reference to Moultrie’s defense of Sullivan Island. Palmetto logs and sand were used as a barrier to protect the fort during the 1776 British assault. The British cannon balls danced around and bounced off of the fibrous palmetto logs and sand. The British Royal Navy, the most powerful naval force in the entire world, lost their first battle in 100 years with their defeat at Sullivan Island. The palmetto tree became the State Tree in 1939. Every trinket manufactured in South Carolina since then has had the beautiful symbol of the palmetto tree and the crescent on a blue background. More marketable than iodine.
