There
are numerous notable sites in the area around Summerton, S.C. These
sites include historic battle sites, building, and
homes, some
dating back to the 1600's. For example, check out the following sites
when you next visit the area:
Santee
Indian Mound
- This site
was probably a burial or temple mound, likely constructed between
1200-1500 AD.
The
Santee Indian mound is typical of pyramidal, flat-topped mounds that
can be found throughout the eastern U.S. The mound complex, the
largest ceremonial center yet discovered on the coastal plain,
represents a hub of late prehistoric activity in the area. It was
listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
Santee
Indian Mound, Summerton, S.C.
Fort
Watson -
The
first military post in S.C. retaken from the British. The stockade
fort was
built near an old
Santee
Indian
mound.
It controlled
the road from Charleston to Camden as well as the Santee River. On
April 15, 1871, Gen. Francis Marion and Lt. Col. Henry Lee encircled
it with American
troops.
Maj. Hezekiah Maham built a log tower on the old Indian mound that
allowed the Americans to fire down into the fort. On April 23, the
Americans undermined the works and forced the surrender of Fort
Watson.
Richardson
Family Cemetery
-
This is one of the earliest graveyards in St. Mark's Parish. It is
located near the town of Summerton. Buried here are Brig. General
Richard Richardson, who fought in the Revolution War, along with
James Burchell Richardson, South Carolina Governor (1802-04), and
John Peter Richardson, South Carolina Governor (1840-42), and founder
of the Citadel.
The
Cantey Place - The
Cantey Place has never had a special name but "Town and Country"
would suit. The residence was built in the 1820's, and John J. Ragin
is the earliest person known to occupy it. There are columns which
outline the porch on three sides. It was built by slave labor with
bricks made on the place and hand-hewn timbers put together with
wooden pegs. The home was eventually acquired by Morgan Saab Cantey,
who was a Presidential Elector. Harry Briggs, Sr., one of the
plaintiffs in the famous Briggs vs. Elliot case was born in one of
the buildings on this property.
For
more detail on many of the other homes and sites in Clarendon County,
make sure you visit the Clarendon
County Archives & History Center.
The
James Home - This
home is located on N. Duke Street in Summerton. It was built in 1840
by J. H. Colclough on land owned by W. C. Dukes. In 1904, Joseph
Alston James, known as the "Cap'n", became the new owner.
Cap'n" James was a railroad conductor for the Northwestern
Railroad. The James family added four large upstairs rooms to the
original story and a half structure as well as a handsome front
stairway, an outstanding feature of the house. The present owners,
Mr. & Mrs. Lionel Stukes, have extensively restored the home.
James
Building
- Also
known as Summerton Hardware, it is a historic commercial building
located in the heart of downtown Summerton. Built in 1905, it is a
two-story brick building with a cast-iron storefront. The building
has two storefronts and interior spaces with single-story sections to
the rear. The building used to house the telephone exchange and a
hardware store and was a central focus of the town in the early-20th
century. It was listed in the National
Register of Historic Places
in 2007.
Edgewood / Orange
Hill - Formerly known as Orange Hill
because of the back ground of Mock Orange trees, it was once owned by
Mrs. Mary Gentry Sprott, a direct descendant of Mr. Thomas Connor,
Jr. who erected the beautiful home. The architecture is peculiar to
this part of the low country with double steps leading to the first
floor piazza. The timbers are all hand sawed and pegged together. the
bricks used in the basement and in the chimney were made on the place
by slave labor and the clay pits may still be seen. The kitchen, that
stands some distance from the house, is very much in evidence. The
large home sits in a grove off Hwy. 15, just 2 miles out of
Summerton.
The Burgess Home -
Prior to 1881 the original three-room one-story
house faced a small lane, now called Burgess Street, in Summerton. On
Jan 21, 1881, W. B. James sold the land and house to Dr. Thomas
Lesley Burgess. The original pillars on the back porch remain, as do
the original hand turned banisters. The solid pine boards inside, put
together with wooden pins, are six inches wide, and there are no
joints in the floors or ceilings in its rooms. It was from this home
that Miss Anne Custis Burgess, a music teacher, composed the lovely
melody to accompany Timrod's poem, "Carolina". It was
adopted as the South Carolina 'State Song' in 1911. Miss Burgess died
on October 15, 1910. She is laid to rest in Summerton's Evergreen
Cemetery while her beautiful melody lives on.
The
Harvey Belser Home - Located on N. Duke
St. in Summerton, the Belser home was built in 1830 by V. H.
Colclough for Mr. William C. Dukes. James Dingle acquired the house
in 1883 and Mrs. Gulielma Belser bought it in 1886 and added a second
story. It was originally a summer house with large front and rear
doors which could be folded back to allow for the breeze. The house
has 14 rooms with a wide center hall on the first floor.
The
John McCuen Rowe Home - Located
on Rowe Street in Summerton, S.C., this house was originally
constructed around 1860. The bricks for the foundation and chimney
were made from clay dug nearby while the timbers were hand-hewn.
Around the turn of the century, in keeping with the current
architectural style of the times, porches were built around 3 sides
of the house. In 1990, Bob Davis purchased this home from John S.
Anderson, Jr., great grandson of the original owner.
“Taw
Caw”Gentry – Grayson Home
-
“Taw Caw” is situated on the road leading to a creek by that
name. This plantation home was built for Ezra Tindal. Members of the
Sublett family and relatives of the Tindals lived there until T.H.
Gentry bought it. It is now the home of his great granddaughter, Mary
Anne Grayson Moore. Double steps lead to the second floor piazza, and
the banisters and hand rails are all hand-turned. Built with slave
labor from plantation timber, hand-sawed and hand planed, the massive
girders underpinning the house are pegged together. Wide planks run
the length of the large rooms without joints. The bricks in the
enormous fireplaces and the hinges used for the doors and windows
were all processed on the estate. The trees on the spacious grounds
are in their third century of growth. This dignified home has double
front doors adding to its hospitable atmosphere.
Senn's
Grist Mill, Blacksmith Shop, and
Orange
Crush Bottling Plant
- A
complex
of several
historic
commercial buildings located at Summerton, S.C.
The complex consists of three interconnected early-20th century
buildings of similar size and construction. The grist mill was built
about 1905, is an example of small independent grist mills that were
commonplace in rural communities across the South back
then.
The blacksmith shop and bottling plant, built around
1921, are typical of early-20th century light industrial buildings.
The
complex
was listed in the National
Register of Historic Places in 1994.
Camp
Bob Cooper
- It's
history dates back to the 1930s, when the South Carolina Public
Service Authority repurposed the former farmland as a construction
labor camp for the Santee-Cooper Hydro-Electric and Navigation
Project. More than 12,500 workers cleared over 177,000 acres of
farms, forests and swamps to create Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie -
at the time, the largest land-clearing project in U.S. history.
Clemson
University leased the property in 1942, and a Clarendon County 4-H
camp was held there the following year. In 1945, Camp Bob Cooper was
listed as a statewide 4-H campsite. For almost 70 years, thousands of
people of all ages have enjoyed camps, conferences, retreats and
other special events on the shores of Lake Marion. The property was
named for Robert Muldrow "Bob" Cooper (1887-1966), who
served as chairman and former director of the Public Service
Authority.
Scotts
Branch School
-
The school was originally knowns as the Taw Caw School, because
classes were taught in the Taw Caw Baptist Church. At the turn of the
century, a group of parents decided to move the school into the town
of Summerton. They raised money and purchased a lot beside St. Mark
A.M.E. Church. They purchased an old cotton gin house, rolled it onto
this site and made it into a classroom. The school's name was changed
from Taw Caw to Scott's Branch because of its location, by the little
brook that runs behind St. Mark Church known as Scott's Branch.
Fire destroyed this "gin" classroom and the church
after many years of use. The parents again banded together, raised
funds, and built a two story building for classrooms along with an
auditorium. As the years passed and the school population grew, the
auditorium was converted into classrooms. In the meantime, St. Mark
A.M.E. had also been rebuilt, so the church was again used for many
school school activities.
In
the Spring of 1937, there was another fire and the school building
was destroyed. This time the parents decided to purchase the site on
which the present Scott's Branch Middle School stands. The white
frame building was built by the county, but the parents and teachers
had to raise funds to put in electricity and water. Commencement
exercises were alternated between Taw Caw Baptist and Liberty Hill
A.M.E churches. School plays were presented at Taw Caw. This practice
continued until the Gymtorium was constructed.
Today,
conditions at Scott's Branch High School are a far cry from where
things stood 50 years ago. The current Scott's Branch High School is
located on Alex Harvin Highway (Hwy. 301). It is a modern facility
with state of the art computer labs, fully equipped science labs, and
all of the amenities necessary for modern day education. It has a
football stadium, softball field, track, and a large gymnasium that
can accommodate graduations, school plays, community events and
indoor athletic events. On August 26, 1994, Summerton High School was
listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Palmetto
Trail
- Conceived
in 1994, South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail is the state’s largest
bicycle and pedestrian project, running from the mountains to the
sea. This federally designated Millennium Legacy Trail is the
signature project of the Palmetto
Conservation Foundation.
It is one of only 16 cross-state trails in the U.S.
The
Lake Marion Passage is a 33-mile section of the Palmetto Trail that
skirts along the high water mark of the north side of Lake Marion in
Clarendon county. Much of the land along the trail is open for
hunting and users should wear bright colors during big game hunting
seasons, from the middle of August to January. Because of the trail’s
proximity to Lake Marion some sections may be flooded during the wet
season. However, these wet conditions add to the beauty of the area
with a profusion of wildflowers. Learn more about the 3 main sections
of the Lake Marion Passage.
SanteeNational Wildlife Refuge -
Established in 1942, it is located near the town of Summerton in
Clarendon county, South Carolina. This 15,000 acre refuge lies within
the Atlantic Coastal Plain and consists of mixed hardwoods, mixed
pine-hardwoods, pine plantations, marsh, croplands, old fields, ponds
and open water. The refuge stretches over 18 miles along the northern
side of Lake Marion. The Santee National Wildlife Refuge is one of
over 500 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System administered
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), an agency of the
Department of the Interior.
Finally,
to learn about the many historic churches in the town and
outlying communities, make sure you visit the Historic
Summerton web site.
Let
our readers know about any other notable sites you have run across in
the Summerton area.
