Georgetown is the third oldest city in the
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a U.S. state that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was...
and the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
of
Georgetown CountyGeorgetown County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 55,797; in 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 60,983. Its county seat is Georgetown.-Geography:According to the U.S...
. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great
Pee Dee RiverThe Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in North Carolina and South Carolina. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course above the mouth of the Uwharrie River is known as the Yadkin River, and it is extensively dammed for flood...
,
Waccamaw RiverThe Waccamaw River is a river, approximately 140 miles long, in southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina in the United States. It drains an area of approximately 1110 square miles in the coastal plain along the eastern border between the two states into the Atlantic Ocean...
, and
Sampit RiverThe Sampit River begins in a swampy area of western Georgetown County, South Carolina, USA. It flows in an easterly direction to Winyah Bay at Georgetown. Only small crafts can navigate the upper parts of the river. The lower river merges into the bay and is deepened by tidal flows, and by...
, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina, handling over 960,000 tons of materials a year.
Geography
Georgetown is located at (33.367434, -79.293807).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²), of which, 6.5 square miles (16.9 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (8.79%) is water.
Winyah Bay was formed from a
SubmergentSubmergent coastlines are stretches along the coast that have been inundated by the sea due to a relative rise in sea levels. This occurs due to either isostacy or eustacy....
or drowned coastline, ie. the original
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
s had a lower base line, but either the ocean rose or the land sank, changing the
landformIn the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, a landform or physical feature comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography...
and making a good location for a harbour. The rising of the ocean may be due to melting of
glacialA glacier is a perennial mass of ice which moves over land. A glacier forms in locations where the mass accumulation of snow and ice exceeds ablation over many years...
ice at the end of the
ice ageThe general term "ice age" or, more precisely, "glacial age" denotes a geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Within a long-term ice age, individual...
.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 8,950 people, 3,411 households, and 2,305 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,368.1 people per square mile (528.4/km²). There were 3,856 housing units at an average density of 589.4/sq mi (227.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.03% African American, 40.99% White, 0.12% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.88% of the population.
There were 3,411 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 25.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,424, and the median income for a family was $34,747. Males had a median income of $27,545 versus $19,000 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $14,568. About 19.9% of families and 24.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.9% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.
History
Georgetown occupies a unique place in American history. In fact, some historians claim that American history began here in 1526 with the earliest settlement in North America by Europeans with African slaves. It is believed that in that year the
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, under
Lucas Vásquez de AyllónLucas Vázquez de Ayllón Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón (c. 1475, probably Toledo, Spain – 18 October,1526, a Spanish explorer, established in 1526 the short-lived San Miguel de Gualdape colony, the first in the present-day U.S....
, founded a colony on
Waccamaw NeckThe Waccamaw Neck is a long narrow peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Waccamaw River in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The town of Pawleys Island is located on the Waccamaw Neck, as well as the mainland area, also called Pawleys Island, which is unincorporated. The entire area shares...
called San Miguel de Guadalupe. The colony failed for multiple reasons, including a fever epidemic and a revolt of African slaves who fled to join the Cofitachiqui Indians in the area. Having failed as farmers, the surviving Spanish sailed to the Spice Islands of the Maritine Southeast Asia on a ship built from local
cypressThe Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to 30 genera with about 130-140 species. They are monoecious, subdioecious or dioecious trees and shrubs from 1-116 m tall...
and
oakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 400 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
trees.
After settling
Charles TownCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
in 1670, the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
established trade with the
IndiansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
, and the trading posts in the outlying areas quickly became settlements.
By 1721 the petition for a new parish,
Prince George, WinyahPrince George Winyah Church is an Episcopal church in Georgetown, South Carolina. Prince George Winyah is one of the oldest continuous congregations in South Carolina, and the church building is one of the oldest churches in continuous service in South Carolina...
, on the
Black RiverThe Black River is a blackwater river in South Carolina in the United States. It originates at the conjunction of several minor swamps just to the south of the city of Bishopville, flowing southeasterly on the coastal plain of South Carolina to empty into the Pee Dee River north of Georgetown...
was granted. In 1734, Prince George, Winyah was divided and the newly created Prince Frederick Parish came to occupy the church at Black River. Prince George Parish, Winyah then encompassed the new town of Georgetown on the
Sampit RiverThe Sampit River begins in a swampy area of western Georgetown County, South Carolina, USA. It flows in an easterly direction to Winyah Bay at Georgetown. Only small crafts can navigate the upper parts of the river. The lower river merges into the bay and is deepened by tidal flows, and by...
.
In 1729, Elisha Screven laid the plan for Georgetown and developed the city in a four-by-eight block grid. Referred to as the “Historic District”, the original grid city is listed on the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and still bears the original street names, lot numbers, and many of the original homes.
The Indian trade declined soon after Georgetown was established and
indigoIndigo is the color on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet. Although traditionally considered one of seven divisions of the optical spectrum, modern color scientists do not usually recognize indigo as a separate division and...
became the cash crop with
riceRice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa, of the grass family . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies...
as a secondary crop. Agricultural profits were so great between 1735-1775 that in 1757 the Winyah Indigo Society, whose members paid dues in indigo, opened and maintained the first
public schoolIn most of the world, excluding England and Wales and some Commonwealth countries, a public school is an educational institution that is funded with tax revenue and most commonly administered by a local government or government agency...
between
Charles TownCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
and
WilmingtonWilmington is a city in and the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 75,838 at the 2000 Census. A July 1, 2008 United States Census Bureau estimate places the population at 100,192...
.
Georgetown played a large part in the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
by sending both Thomas Lynch, Sr. and
Thomas Lynch, Jr.Thomas Lynch, Jr. , was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of South Carolina ....
to sign the
Declaration of IndependenceA declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
. During the final years of the conflict, Georgetown was the important port for supplying
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is simply called general.-All general officer...
Nathanael GreeneNathaniel Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer...
's army.
Francis MarionFrancis Marion was a military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. Acting with Continental Army and South Carolina militia commissions, he was a persistent adversary of the British in their occupation of South Carolina in 1780 and 1781, even after the Continental Army was driven...
(the
Swamp Fox) led many guerrilla actions in this vicinity.
Following the American Revolution, rice became the staple crop. It required the low land along the rivers for cultivation and thus the rice plantations were established around Georgetown on its five rivers. By 1840, the Georgetown District (later County) produced nearly one-half of the total rice crop of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and became the largest rice-exporting port in the world.
This wealth produced an
aristocraticThe aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in society, who traditionally have land, money, and power. They are often members of a hereditary nobility that derives its stature from a lineage traceable to the original inhabitants or rulers of a region...
way of life marked by stately plantation manor houses, elegant furniture, generous hospitality and a leisured lifestyle for a select few which lasted until 1860. Many of these plantations are still standing today, including
Mansfield PlantationMansfield Plantation is a well-preserved antebellum rice plantation, established in 1718 on the banks of the Black River in historic Georgetown, South Carolina, U.S. Spanning nearly of pine forest, rice fields and cypress swamps, Mansfield Plantation was once one of the largest rice producing...
on the banks of the
Black RiverThe Black River is a blackwater river in South Carolina in the United States. It originates at the conjunction of several minor swamps just to the south of the city of Bishopville, flowing southeasterly on the coastal plain of South Carolina to empty into the Pee Dee River north of Georgetown...
. The profits from Georgetown's rice trade flooded into nearby Charleston, where they stoked a thriving mercantile and factoring economy.
The town's thriving economy long attracted settlers from elsewhere, including a number of planters and shipowners who emigrated to Georgetown from Virginia. These included the Shackelford family, whose representative John Shackelford moved to Georgetown in the eighteenth century after serving in the Virginia forces of the
Continental ArmyThe American Continental Army was an army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen...
. His descendants became prominent planters, lawyers, judges and Georgetown and Charleston businessmen.
Georgetown and Georgetown County suffered terribly during Reconstruction (1865-1876). The rice crops of 1866-88 were failures due to disrupted labor patterns, lack of capital and inclement weather. Rice continued to be grown commercially until about 1910, but never on the scale or with the profits attained before 1860.
After reconstruction ended, Georgetown turned to wood products for its economic survival and by 1900 there were several lumber mills in operation on the
Sampit RiverThe Sampit River begins in a swampy area of western Georgetown County, South Carolina, USA. It flows in an easterly direction to Winyah Bay at Georgetown. Only small crafts can navigate the upper parts of the river. The lower river merges into the bay and is deepened by tidal flows, and by...
. The largest was the
Atlantic Coast Lumber CompanyThe company was formed in 1899 when the potential value of the vast amounts of standing timber in the Pee Dee River watershed was discovered by a group of Northern lumbermen. Options were taken by the company on this timber and that of surrounding...
which provided a much needed boost to the local economy.
As the twentieth century dawned, Georgetown, under the leadership of Mayor William Doyle Morgan, modernized. The city added electricity, telephone service, sewer facilities, rail connections, some paved streets and sidewalks, new banks, a thriving port, a new public school and a handsome Post Office and Customs House building.
Like most cities, Georgetown suffered great economic deprivation during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The Atlantic Coast Lumber Company went bankrupt early in the depression, putting almost everyone out of work. In 1936 help arrived. In that year the Southern Kraft Division of
International PaperInternational Paper is an American pulp and paper company, the largest pulp and paper company in the world. It has approximately 51,500 employees. Its global headquarters are currently in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:...
opened a mill which by 1944 was the largest in the world.
A major disaster struck Georgetown in September 1989:
Hurricane HugoHurricane Hugo was a destructive Category 5 hurricane that struck Guadeloupe, Montserrat, St. Croix, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and North Carolina in September of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season, killing 109 people and leaving nearly 100,000 homeless....
struck south of Georgetown, but with extremely hard winds and intense storm surge that damaged Georgetown along with nearby areas. Georgetown was under Hugo's northern eyewall, and that meant the winds here would be more severe and damaging than in
CharlestonCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
, which was in the hurricane's weak corridor.
In recent years, the economy has become more diversified. A steel mill has located here, tourism has become a booming business and many retirees have chosen to settle here in this area of lovely beaches, plantations developed as communities, and pleasant climate.
Georgetown has featured the visitation of many prominent people throughout the nearly 277 years of cities existence.
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the first President of the United States of America...
visited Clifton Plantation and addressed the townspeople in 1791.
PresidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
James MonroeJames Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . His administration was marked by the acquisition of Florida ; the Missouri Compromise , in which Missouri was declared a slave state; the admission of Maine in 1820 as a free state; and the profession of the Monroe Doctrine , declaring U.S...
was entertained in 1821 at Prospect Hill (now Arcadia) on Waccamaw with a real red carpet rolled out to the river. Theodosia Burr made her home at the Oaks Plantation (now part of
Brookgreen GardensBrookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve just south of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. The 9,200-acre property includes several themed gardens with American figurative sculptures, the Lowcountry Zoo, and trails through several ecosystems on the property.- Early history...
) after her marriage to
Joseph AlstonJoseph Alston was a Democratic-Republican Governor of South Carolina from 1812 to 1814.-Early life and career:Born in All Saint's Parish near Georgetown, Alston attended the College of New Jersey, but left in 1796 without graduating. He then went to study law at the office of Edward Rutledge and...
in 1801 and departed from Georgetown on her ill-fated voyage in 1812. Brookgreen was also the boyhood home of one of America's most famous painters,
Washington AllstonWashington Allston was an American poet and influential painter, born in Waccamaw Parish, South Carolina. Allston pioneered America's Romantic movement of landscape painting...
. Joel R. Poinsett lived at White House Plantation on the Black River. After retiring from government service, Poinsett entertained
PresidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Martin Van BurenMartin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. Before his presidency, he served as the eighth Vice President and the 10th Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson...
at his home.
PresidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Grover ClevelandStephen Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Cleveland is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
, as guest of the Annandale Gun Club, came for duck hunting and was feted by the citizens in 1894 and 1896.
Bernard BaruchBernard Mannes Baruch was an American financier, stock-market speculator, statesman, and political consultant. After his success in business, he devoted his time toward advising Democratic U.S. Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D...
, America's elder statesman, entertained many notables at
Hobcaw BaronyHobcaw Barony, also known as Bellefield Plantation is a tract on a peninsula called Waccamaw Neck between the Winyah Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in Georgetown County, South Carolina. Much of Hobcaw Barony is south of US Highway 17. The land was purchased by the investor, philanthropist,...
, his home for many years. Among those were
PresidentPresident is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a "president" is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , the only U.S. President elected to more than two terms, was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
,
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC was a British politician known chiefly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer...
,
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is simply called general.-All general officer...
Mark ClarkMark Wayne Clark was an American general during World War II and the Korean War and was the youngest lieutenant general in the U.S. Army...
and
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank. The term or equivalent is used by nearly every country in the world. General can be used as a generic term for all grades of general officer, or it can specifically refer to a single rank that is simply called general.-All general officer...
Omar BradleyGeneral of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley was one of the main U.S. Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during World War II and a General of the Army in the United States Army...
.
Today, the Historic District of Georgetown contains more than fifty homes, public buildings and sites which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
External links