The
following are a series of brief historical overviews of the major
towns, villages, and communities in Clarendon County, South Carolina.
Manning
is the county seat of Clarendon county in South Carolina. Its
population was estimated to be 3,943 as of 2008.
Shortly
after the establishment of Clarendon county in 1855, Captain Joseph
C. Burgess was selected to determine the geographical center of the
county so that a courthouse village could be built. The commissioners
who had been charged with the responsibility of locating the county
seat, decided on the site where the present courthouse stands in
Manning. Captain Burgess deeded six acres to the state, which
provided sites for the courthouse and jail, in addition to streets 75
feet wide on four sides.
The
town of Manning was officially chartered by an act of the S.C. State
Legislature on January 28, 1861. It was named for John
Laurence Manning. Dr. George Allen Huggins was the first
intendent, or mayor, of Manning.
A
large portion of the original town, including the court house, was
destroyed by Union troops under Gen. Edward E. Potter. "Potter's
Raid" took place only a few days before Gen. Robert E. Lee´s
surrender at Appomattox. The county took many decades to recover from
the Civil War. However, railroads, abundant timber and diverse
agriculture allowed Manning to flourish during the late 19th century
and into the 20th century.
In
1969, Pansy Ridgeway became the first woman to be elected mayor of
Manning. She served as mayor of Manning from 1970–96 and was also
the first woman elected president of the South Carolina Municipal
Association.
A
revitalization effort known as "Main Street Manning" is
responsible for much of the restoration and growth in historic
Manning over recent years. In 2009, downtown Manning was designated a
National Historic District.
Summerton
is a town in Clarendon County, South Carolina, in the U.S. The
population of the town was 1,061 according to the 2000 census.
Summerton’s
history began around 1830 to 1840. Plantation owners made their move
inward to what was then called the “Summer Town” to escape from
the mosquitoes along the Santee river. It was thought of as a health
resort and safe retreat from the “malaria” of the swamp. Visit
Historic
Summerton S.C.
Summerton
is ideally located in the heart of Santee Cooper Country, eight miles
from the shores of beautiful Lake Marion and conveniently located one
hour from Columbia, Charleston, and Florence. It was officially
chartered by the SC Legislative Delegation on Christmas Eve, 1889.
Summerton
has developed into a pastoral residential community. The number of
churches in this small town reflect the deep spiritual commitment of
the community. A strong reliance on farming, small business and the
rustic beauty of the SC Low Country are all key characteristics of
the town.
Alcolu
was
established between 1885 and 1890 by D.W. Alderman as a small mill
town that housed the employees of his timber company and lumber mill.
The name Alcolu is derived from “AL” for Alderman, “CO” for
Coldwell (a friend), and “LU” for Lula, the only daughter of the
Aldermans at that time.
When
it was built, Alcolu was a company town where everybody worked in one
of the various businesses of D.W. Alderman & Sons. The business
grew to encompass logging operations, a saw mill, planing mill,
hosiery mill, flooring mill, and extensive farming and cattle
ranching. They also ran a cotton gin, hotel, company store, and
several other businesses.
Over
time, the company also helped found schools, churches, built baseball
fields, an electric plant, and a telephone system for the town. D.W.
Alderman also founded the Alcolu Railroad, the Paroda Railroad, and
built the Alcolu railroad depot. The Alcolu Post Office was
established on August 17, 1888. Algernon Coldwell was appointed as
its first Postmaster.
Company
employees were paid in babbits, a metal coin stamped with an “A”,
that could be used in the company store. There they could buy
groceries, see the doctor, get a haircut, or watch a show in the 200
seat auditorium upstairs. In 1919, company opened the 'Alderman 20
Stores in One' in nearby Manning. It was one of the first department
stores in South Carolina and boasted of having the first elevator in
town.
In
1947, the mill was sold by the Alderman family to the Southern
Coatings & Chemical Company and the Williams
Furniture Company. They, in turn, were later bought
by the Georgia Pacific company in 1968. Georgia Pacific
continued its operations in Alcolu
until 2000, when the mill was finally closed. According to the 2010
census, the unincorporated town of Alcolu had a population of 429
people.
Turbeville
is a town in Clarendon County, South Carolina. Its population was 766
according to the 2010 census.
In
1840, Michael Turbeville bought 125 acres of land one mile north of
the present Town limits in Diles Bay and built a home on this
property. Sometime between 1870 and 1875, William J. Turbeville, son
of Michael, purchased approximately 200 acres from John McFaddin and
built the first house in what is now the Town of Turbeville. His
brother, Samuel Clem Turbeville, likewise bought land and built a
home next to William. Since their land was substantially covered with
large pine trees, the brothers built a turpentine still which they
ran for about 20 years. They also ran a saw mill, grist mill, and
built a large store where they carried on an extensive mercantile
business for many years. During those years the community was known
as "Puddin' Swamp".
The
town of Turbeville was officially chartered on August 18, 1914, with
Dr. C.E. Gamble as its first mayor. For
more detail, see Manning
Live.
Paxville
is a small town in Clarendon county, South Carolina. The population
was 248 according to the 2000 census. The town was originally named
after Joseph Pack.
Joseph
Pack and his wife, Louisa Alexandria Pack, arrived in America from
England in the year 1770. He became one of the most extensive land
holders in the Carolina Low County, having acquired more than 10,000
acres of land. He helped found the town of Packsville (later renamed
Paxville in 1902). Paxville is believed to be the oldest town in
Clarendon County.
Some
of the land grants given to Joseph Pack were from King George III of
England, while others were from the state of South Carolina. Some of
the land grants in Paxville may have been given to Joseph as a result
of his Revolutionary War service. There is a marker honoring Joseph
Pack’s service with the South Carolina Militia during the
Revolutionary War.
The
Great Depression of the 1930's devastated this small rural town. The
railroad depot was closed and the town never really recovered from
the economic collapse.
Also,
some of the other major cities or towns in South Carolina within 80
miles drive of Clarendon County include Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Georgetown,
Myrtle Beach, Orangeburg, Sumter, and Santee.
