Summerton is a town in
Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. Per the
2020 census, the population was 814.
Geography
Summerton is in southwestern Clarendon County at (33.605145, -80.352159).
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
passes just south of the town, with access from Exit 108. I-95 leads northeast to
Florence and southwest to
Savannah, Georgia. U.S. Routes
15 and
301
__NOTOC__
Year 301 (Roman numerals, CCCI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus (or, less freque ...
join in the center of Summerton. US 301 leads northeast to
Manning, the Clarendon County seat, and US 15 leads north to
Sumter, while the combined highways lead southwest to
Santee
Santee may refer to:
People
* Santee Dakota, a subgroup of the Dakota people, of the U.S. Great Plains
* Santee (South Carolina), a Native American people of South Carolina
Places
* Lake Santee, Indiana, a reservoir and census-designated place
* ...
.
Summerton is located in the heart of
Santee Cooper Country, from the shores of
Lake Marion
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, Summerton has a total area of , all land.
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.''
2000 Census
As of the
census of 2000, there were 1,061 people, 452 households, and 285 families residing in the town. The
population density was 919.3 people per square mile (356.2/km
2). There were 516 housing units at an average density of 447.1 per square mile (173.2/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 39.77%
White, 57.21%
African American, 0.19%
Native American, 0.75%
Asian, 1.41% from
other races, and 0.66% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.07% of the population.
There were 452 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 24.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,563, and the median income for a family was $34,038. Males had a median income of $34,500 versus $18,906 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $13,284. About 18.4% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 24.4% of those age 65 or over.
History
Summerton's history began ''circa'' 1830 to 1840.
Plantation owners made their move inward to Summerton to escape from the mosquitos along the
Santee River. It was thought of as a health resort and safe retreat from the "malaria" associated with the swamp. The town was officially chartered by the South Carolina legislative delegation on Christmas Eve, 1889.
Summerton is well known for the court case ''
Briggs v. Elliott'' (Court citation:347 US 483). ''Briggs'' was the first filed of the four court cases combined into ''
Brown v. Board of Education'', the famous case in which the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954 officially overturned
racial segregation in U.S. public schools.
Summerton High School
Summerton High School, also known as Summerton Middle School, is a historic school building located at Summerton, Clarendon County, South Carolina. It was built in 1936, and is a one-story hip roofed, rectangular brick building. It has a central ...
and Scott’s Branch High School were added to
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park in 2022.
Despite the outcome of ''Briggs'' and ''Brown'', as of 2004 Summerton's schools remain effectively segregated, with nearly all white students now attending the private Clarendon Hall, leaving the public schools almost entirely African-American. As of 2004, 95% of public high school students at Scotts Branch High are black, despite 40% white population in the community.
Today, Summerton is still noted for being a summer retreat and vacation spot for visitors interested in nature and outdoor recreation activities, e.g. golf, fishing, hunting, boating, camping.
[http://SummertonHistory.COSITech.Net]
References
External links
''Brown v. Board: Five Communities That Changed America,'' a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan''Historic Summerton, SC''
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Towns in Clarendon County, South Carolina
Towns in South Carolina