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Edgefield County, South Carolina

Edgefield County is a county located on the western border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,657.[2] Its county seat and largest community is Edgefield.[3] The county was established on March 12, 1785.[4]

Edgefield County
County
Edgefield County Courthouse
Edgefield County Courthouse
Official seal of Edgefield County
Seal
Nickname: 
Home of Ten Governors
Motto: 
"It Feels Different Here Because It Is Different Here"
Map of South Carolina highlighting Edgefield County
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
Map of the United States highlighting South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°47′N 81°58′W / 33.78°N 81.97°W / 33.78; -81.97
Country United States
State South Carolina
Founded1785
Named forCounty's location at the Edge of the State[1]
SeatEdgefield
Largest communityEdgefield
Area
 • Total
507.00 sq mi (1,313.1 km2)
 • Land500.71 sq mi (1,296.8 km2)
 • Water6.29 sq mi (16.3 km2)  1.24%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
25,657
 • Estimate 
(2023)
27,607
 • Density51.24/sq mi (19.78/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district3rd
Websiteedgefieldcounty.sc.gov

The Savannah River makes up part of the western border of Edgefield County; across the river lies the city of Augusta, Georgia. Edgefield is part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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See also: Edgefield, South Carolina § History

The origin of the name Edgefield is unclear; the South Carolina State Library's information on the county's history suggests that the name "is usually described as 'fanciful.'"[5] There is a village named Edgefield in Norfolk, England.

Edgefield District was created in 1785, and it is bordered on the west by the Savannah River.[5][6][7] It was formed from the southern section of the former Ninety-Six District when it was divided into smaller districts or counties by an act of the state legislature.[5][6][7] Parts of the district were later used in the formation of other neighboring counties, specifically:[5]

In his study of Edgefield County, South Carolina, Orville Vernon Burton classified white society as comprising the poor, the yeoman middle class, and the elite planters.[8] A clear line demarcated the elite, but according to Burton, the line between poor and yeoman was never very distinct. Stephanie McCurry argues that yeomen were clearly distinguished from poor whites by their ownership of land (real property). Edgefield's yeomen farmers were "self-working farmers," distinct from the elite because they worked their land themselves alongside any slaves they owned. By owning large numbers of slaves, planters took on a managerial function and did not work in the fields.[9]

During Reconstruction, Edgefield County had a slight black majority. It became a center of political tensions following the postwar amendments that gave freedmen civil rights under the US constitution. Whites conducted an insurgency to maintain white supremacy, particularly through paramilitary groups known as the Red Shirts. They used violence and intimidation during election seasons from 1872 on to disrupt and suppress black Republican voting.

In May 1876, six black suspects were lynched by a white mob for the alleged murders of a white couple. In the Hamburg Massacre of July 8, 1876, several black militia were killed by whites, part of a large group of more than 100 armed men who attended a court hearing of a complaint of whites against the militia. Some of the white men came from Augusta.[10] Due to fraud, more Democratic votes were recorded in Edgefield County than there were total residents; similar fraud occurred elsewhere, as did suppression of black voting. Eventually the election was decided in Hampton's favor, and the Democrats also took control of the state legislature. As a result of a national compromise, Federal troops were withdrawn in 1877 from South Carolina and other southern states, ending Reconstruction.

The long decline in population from 1910 to 1980 reflects the decline in agriculture, mechanization reducing labor needs, and the effect of many African Americans leaving for Northern and Midwestern cities in the Great Migration out of the rural South.

Geography

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Map 
Interactive map of Edgefield County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 507.00 square miles (1,313.1 km2), of which 500.71 square miles (1,296.8 km2) is land and 6.29 square miles (16.3 km2) (1.24%) is water.[11]

National protected area

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State and local protected area

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Major water bodies

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Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Major infrastructure

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
179013,289—
180018,13036.4%
181023,16027.7%
182025,1198.5%
183030,50921.5%
184032,8527.7%
185039,26219.5%
186039,8871.6%
187042,4866.5%
188045,8447.9%
189049,2597.4%
190025,478−48.3%
191028,28111.0%
192023,928−15.4%
193019,326−19.2%
194017,894−7.4%
195016,591−7.3%
196015,735−5.2%
197015,692−0.3%
198017,52811.7%
199018,3754.8%
200024,59533.9%
201026,9859.7%
202025,657−4.9%
2023 (est.)27,607[2]7.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15]
1990–2000[16] 2010[17] 2020[2]

2020 census

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Edgefield County racial composition[18]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 104,890 58.03%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 48,301 32.35%
Native American 2,312 0.26%
Asian 5,467 0.46%
Pacific Islander 400 0.02%
Other/Mixed 6,500 3.52%
Hispanic or Latino 15,182 5.34%

As of the 2020 census, there were 25,657 people, 9,176 households, and 6,471 families residing in the county.

2010 census

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At the 2010 census, there were 55,285 people, 21,348 households, and 16,706 families living in the county.[19][17] The population density was 53.9 inhabitants per square mile (20.8/km2). There were 10,559 housing units at an average density of 21.1 per square mile (8.1/km2).[20] The racial makeup of the county was 58.6% white, 37.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) made up 5.2% of the population.[19] In terms of ancestry, 15.8% were American, 9.0% were English, 6.7% were Irish, and 5.1% were German.[21]

Of the 9,348 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 40.3 years.[19]

The median income for a household in the county was $42,834 and the median income for a family was $57,114. Males had a median income of $41,759 versus $29,660 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,901. About 17.8% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.1% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.[22]

2000 census

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At the 2000 census,[23] there were 24,595 people, 8,270 households, and 6,210 families living in the county. The population density was 49 inhabitants per square mile (19/km2). There were 9,223 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (6.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 56.77% White, 41.51% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 2.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,270 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 15.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,146, and the median income for a family was $41,810. Males had a median income of $32,748 versus $23,331 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,415. About 13.00% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.60% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

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The Federal Bureau of Prisons Federal Correctional Institution, Edgefield is in the county; it is partially within the city limits of Edgefield, and partially in an unincorporated area.[24][25]

United States presidential election results for Edgefield County, South Carolina[26]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 9,092 65.32% 4,659 33.47% 168 1.21%
2020 8,184 61.52% 4,953 37.23% 167 1.26%
2016 6,842 58.76% 4,491 38.57% 311 2.67%
2012 6,512 56.21% 4,967 42.87% 107 0.92%
2008 6,334 54.98% 5,075 44.05% 111 0.96%
2004 5,611 57.57% 4,051 41.57% 84 0.86%
2000 4,760 53.88% 3,950 44.71% 124 1.40%
1996 3,640 48.62% 3,576 47.77% 270 3.61%
1992 3,339 45.15% 3,433 46.42% 624 8.44%
1988 3,814 55.57% 3,020 44.00% 29 0.42%
1984 3,224 49.77% 3,227 49.81% 27 0.42%
1980 2,415 40.68% 3,465 58.36% 57 0.96%
1976 1,879 36.58% 3,216 62.60% 42 0.82%
1972 2,812 66.67% 1,326 31.44% 80 1.90%
1968 1,688 43.07% 1,225 31.26% 1,006 25.67%
1964 2,489 75.13% 824 24.87% 0 0.00%
1960 1,448 63.12% 846 36.88% 0 0.00%
1956 516 25.27% 525 25.71% 1,001 49.02%
1952 1,665 68.86% 753 31.14% 0 0.00%
1948 6 0.33% 27 1.48% 1,797 98.20%
1944 3 0.42% 654 92.24% 52 7.33%
1940 9 0.84% 1,065 99.16% 0 0.00%
1936 1 0.08% 1,304 99.92% 0 0.00%
1932 10 0.75% 1,316 99.25% 0 0.00%
1928 4 0.33% 1,201 99.67% 0 0.00%
1924 0 0.00% 915 100.00% 0 0.00%
1920 0 0.00% 976 100.00% 0 0.00%
1916 5 0.52% 959 99.48% 0 0.00%
1912 3 0.38% 779 97.38% 18 2.25%
1904 5 0.51% 967 99.49% 0 0.00%
1900 17 1.82% 919 98.18% 0 0.00%

Economy

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In 2022, the GDP of Edgefield County was $807.3 million (approx. $29,243 per capita).[27] In chained 2017 dollars, the real GDP was $645.6 million (about $23,386 per capita).[28] Between 2022-2023, the unemployment rate has been 3.1-3.2% on average.[29]

Some of the largest employers in the county include Dollar General and the United States Department of Justice.[30]

Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Edgefield County, South Carolina[30]
Industry Employment Counts Employment Percentage (%) Average Annual Wage ($)
Accommodation and Food Services 343 6.5 14,196
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services 222 4.2 46,800
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 530 10.0 42,484
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 52 1.0 24,492
Construction 286 5.4 54,496
Finance and Insurance 46 0.9 46,176
Health Care and Social Assistance 606 11.4 40,456
Information 13 0.2 75,868
Management of Companies and Enterprises 8 0.2 104,988
Manufacturing 1,419 26.8 56,940
Other Services (except Public Administration) 237 4.5 52,676
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 85 1.6 61,932
Public Administration 794 15.0 65,468
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 13 0.2 39,468
Retail Trade 362 6.8 43,680
Transportation and Warehousing 118 2.2 70,772
Utilities 79 1.5 72,852
Wholesale Trade 87 1.6 86,060
Total 5,300 100.0% 51,236

Media

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Edgefield has one newspaper, published in the town of the same name:

The local radio station is located in the town of Johnston:

Edgefield is also served by the following television stations:

Communities

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City

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Towns

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Census-designated place

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Education

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The school district for the entire county is Edgefield County School District.[31]

Notable people

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Governors

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Other notable people

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In addition to its ten governors of South Carolina listed below, Edgefield County was the home of numerous local notables: George Galphin (1709–1780);Samuel Hammond (1757–1842); Parson Mason Locke Weems (1759–1825); Rebecca "Becky" Cotton (1765–1807); Billy Porter (aka “Billy the Fiddler”), a slave (1771–1821); Rev. William Bullein Johnson (1782–1862); Augustus Baldwin Longstreet (1790–1870), a famous author; Andrew Pickens Butler (1796–1857); Dave Drake (1800–1879?), a slave; Francis Hugh Wardlaw (1800–1861); Louis T. Wigfall (1816–1874); Preston S. Brooks (1819–1857); General James A. Longstreet (1821–1904), a leading Confederate general; Prince Rivers (1823–1887), a black leader; George D. Tillman (1826–1901); Martin Witherspoon Gary (1831–1881); Lucy Holcombe Pickens (1832–1899); Matthew Calbraith Butler (1836–1909); Alexander Bettis (1836–1895), a black leader; Lawrence Cain (1845–1884), a black leader; Paris Simkins (1849–1930), a black leader; Daniel Augustus Tompkins (1851–1914); Alfred W. Nicholson (1861–1945), a black leader; John William Thurmond (1862–1934); Emma Anderson Dunovant (1866–1956); Florence Adams Mims (1873–1951); Benjamin Mays (1894–1984), a black leader; Francis Butler Simkins (1897–1966), a historian; and Davis Timmerman, a murder victim whose case resulted in the first execution of a woman in South Carolina's electric chair.[32][33][34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "A Thematic Overview Of Edegfield, SC". www.historicedgefield.com. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "QuickFacts: Edgefield County, South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "South Carolina - Legislative Acts Creating Counties / Districts". South Carolina General Assembly. 1785. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Morgan, Mary (March 22, 2007). "Edgefield County". South Carolina State Library. Archived from the original on September 19, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "The Edgefield County Court House: A Brief History, 1785-1997". County of Edgefield. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  7. ^ a b "Edgefield County Chamber of Commerce Home Page". Edgefield County Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  8. ^ Orville Vernon Burton, In My Father's House Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina (U. of North Carolina Press, 1985)
  9. ^ Stephanie McCurry, Masters of Small Worlds: Yeoman Households, Gender Relations, and the Political Culture of the Antebellum South Carolina Low Country (1995)
  10. ^ Melinda Meeks Hennessy, “Racial Violence During Reconstruction: The 1876 Riots in Charleston and Cainhoy”, South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 86, No. 2, (April 1985), 104–106 (subscription required)
  11. ^ "2020 County Gazetteer Files – South Carolina". United States Census Bureau. August 23, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  12. ^ "SCDNR Public Lands". www2.dnr.sc.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  13. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  14. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  15. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  16. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  17. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  18. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  20. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  21. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  22. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  23. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  24. ^ "FCI Edgefield Contact Information." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on July 27, 2010.
  25. ^ "Edgefield town, South Carolina Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 27, 2010.
  26. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  27. ^ U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (January 1, 2001). "Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Edgefield County, SC". FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  28. ^ U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (January 1, 2001). "Real Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Edgefield County, SC". FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  29. ^ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (January 1, 1990). "Unemployment Rate in Edgefield County, SC". FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Edgefield County" (PDF). Community Profiles (04000037). Columbia, SC: S.C. Department of Employment & Workforce - Business Intelligence Department. April 19, 2024.
  31. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Edgefield County, SC" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2024. - Text list
  32. ^ See "LEARN ABOUT FAMOUS EDGEFIELDIANS" (Edgefield County Historical Society)
  33. ^ Walter Edgar, ed. The South Carolina Encyclopedia, (University of South Carolina Press, 2006), passim.
  34. ^ O'Neil, Duay (October 10, 2014). "From a dead calf to the South Carolina electric chair". Newport Plain Talk. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2023.

Further reading

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  • Burton, Vernon. "Race and Reconstruction: Edgefield County, South Carolina." Journal of Social History (1978) 12#1: 31–56 online.
  • Burton, Orville Vernon. In my Father's house are many mansions: Family and community in Edgefield, South Carolina (Univ of North Carolina Press, 2000) excerpt.
  • Chapman, John A. History of Edgefield County: From the Earliest Settlements to 1897 (Newberry, South Carolina: Elbert H. Aull, Publisher and Printer, 1897). online
  • Ford, Lacy K. "Origins of the Edgefield Tradition: The Late Antebellum Experience and the Roots of Political Insurgency." South Carolina Historical Magazine 98.4 (1997): 328–348.
  • Russell, Thomas D. "The Antebellum Courthouse as Creditors' Domain: Trial-Court Activity in South Carolina and the Concomitance of Lending and Litigation." American Journal of Legal History 40 (1996): 331+.
  • Steen, Carl, and Corbett E. Toussaint. "Who Were the Potters in the Old Edgefield District?." Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage 6.2 (2017): 78–109.
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