Francis Marion University, located in Florence, South Carolina, is a liberal arts school named after Francis Marion. The university dates back to 1957, when the University of South Carolina set up a freshman center at the Florence County Library. A few years later, in 1961, USC-Florence was setup on land donated by the Wallace family. In 1966, many in the Florence area pushed to establish a four year university. Gov. Robert E. McNair eventually signed into law an act creating Francis Marion College, effective July 1, 1970.