Beech Island is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in

Aiken County, South Carolina Aiken County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 168,808. Its county seat and largest city is Aiken. Aiken County is a part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metropolitan Statistica ...

, United States.Walter Edgar, Ed.: ''The South Carolina Encyclopedia'', The University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, S.C., 2006, p. 63. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 1,421.

History

According to tradition, the community was first named "Beech Highland" on account of its lofty elevation, and over time the H was dropped, causing the present name to be adopted. Beech Island was primarily an agricultural community before the 1950s. Cotton, wheat, corn, and soybean were the major crops. This changed with the construction of Urquhart Station Power Station and the nearby Savannah River Nuclear Project. New highways were built to accommodate the workers commuting to the Nuclear Project. Commerce grew and the community began to change. In the 1960s

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand n ...

built a large manufacturing facility on what was once farmland, creating more jobs. The boom, however, was short-lived. Beech Island's most famous resident was

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, who lived there for the last few decades of his life on a estate. Brown is buried in the Thomas Family Home Crypt on Beech Island. The Cedars, Fort Moore-Savano Town Site,

Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site is a state park in South Carolina, United States. Redcliffe Plantation, also known as Redcliffe, completed in 1859, is a Greek Revival plantation house located on the site that is listed on the National Re ...

, Oakland Plantation, and

Zubly Cemetery The Zubly Cemetery near Beech Island, South Carolina, which is a small community in Aiken County, South Carolina was established around 1790 by Swiss settlers of the nearby New Windsor Township. It illustrates the vernacular burial customs of the ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Beech Island is also home to most of the television transmitters that serve the Augusta, GA MSA.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

References

Unincorporated communities in South Carolina Unincorporated communities in Aiken County, South Carolina Census-designated places in South Carolina Census-designated places in Aiken County, South Carolina Augusta metropolitan area {{SouthCarolina-geo-stub

History

Demographics

2020 census

See also

References