Silly Laws from South Carolina

South Carolina has suffered a bit of a checkered past—less than 100 years after its admission into the United States in 1788, it was the first state to secede from the Union in 1860, prior to the Civil War. The state was readmitted in 1868 and is today considered one of the country’s most beautiful eastern states; however, it is not without its silly state laws.
A person must be eighteen years old to play a pinball machine
In South Carolina, “children” and “juveniles” are defined under the law as any individual less than seventeen years of age. The state maintains several “status offenses” for juveniles, which are behaviors that would not be considered illegal if committed by an adult, but which are not permissible for juveniles—chief among these is “playing a pinball machine.” This law remains in effect even today as part of the South Carolina Code of Laws under the state’s Juvenile Justice Code.
If a man promises to marry an unmarried woman, the marriage must take place
Not only does South Carolina seem to take juvenile behavior very seriously, the state also takes marriage proposals seriously as well. By law, any male over the age of sixteen who promises to marry a woman as part of a deception and does not carry through with this promise is guilty of a misdemeanor. However, if the male marries the woman in question, either before or after his conviction, he is absolved of guilt.
Railroad companies may be held liable in some instances for scaring horses
A spooked horse is no joke, and South Carolina recognizes the severity of this situation. This is why state law specifies several requirements for railroad operators, which can be found liable for damages and subjected to a fine if any employees are found guilty of violating statutes put in place to prevent scared horses. These statutes require the use of electric hand lanterns when switching or moving trains, as well as govern the removal and operation of hand cars from the tracks to avoid approaching trains.