**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**Rule 13a-14(a) Certificationof the Principal Executive Officer**

 
|   | I, Charlie T. Lovering,  chief executive officer, certify that:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
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| 1.     | I have reviewed this  annual report on Form 10-KSB of Congaree Bancshares, Inc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
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| 2.     | Based on my knowledge,  this annual report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact  or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in  light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not  misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;                                                                          |
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| 3.     | Based on my knowledge,  the financial statements, and other financial information included in this  report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the small business issuer as of, and  for, the periods presented in this report;                                                                                         |
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| 4.     | The small business  issuer’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and  maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and  15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in  Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and  have:                  |
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| a)     | Designed such  disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and  procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material  information relating to the small business issuer, including its consolidated  subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,  particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
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|   | b)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Designed such internal  control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over  financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide  reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the  preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with  generally accepted accounting principles; |
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|   | c)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Evaluated the  effectiveness of the small business issuer’s disclosure controls and  procedures and   presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the  disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by  this report based on such evaluation; and |
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|   | d)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Disclosed in this  report any change in the small business issuer’s internal control over  financial reporting that occurred during the small business issuer’s most  recent fiscal quarter (the small business issuer’s fourth fiscal quarter in  the case of this annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably  likely to materially affect, the small business issuer’s internal control  over financial reporting; and |
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| 5.     | The small business  issuer’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most  recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the small  business issuer’s auditors and the audit committee of the small business  issuer’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):                                           |
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|   | a)   All significant deficiencies and  material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over  financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the small  business issuer’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial  information; and                                                                             |
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|   | b)   Any fraud, whether or not material,  that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in  the small business issuer’s internal control over financial reporting.                                                                                                                                                                               |
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| Date:  | March 30, 2009                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            | By: | /s/ Charlie T. Lovering |
|   | Charlie T. Lovering                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|   | President and Chief  Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
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