High Hills of Santee
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The High Hills of Santee, sometimes known as the High Hills of the Santee, is a long, narrow hilly region in the western part of Sumter County, South Carolina. It has been called "one of the state's most famous areas".Mary Schuette, Nomination Form for Stateburg Historic District
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
The High Hills of Santee region lies north of the
Santee River } The Santee River is a river in South Carolina in the United States, and is long. The Santee and its tributaries provide the principal drainage for the coastal areas of southeastern South Carolina and navigation for the central coastal plain of ...
and east of the
Wateree River } The Wateree River, about 75 mi (120 km) long, is a tributary of the Santee River in central South Carolina in the United States, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. It was named for the Wateree Native Americans, a tribe who had migrate ...
, one of the two rivers that join to form the Santee. It extends north almost to the Kershaw county line and northeasterly to include the former summer resort town of Bradford Springs. Since 1902 the town has been included in Lee County. The county was named after
Thomas Sumter Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia; a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, a planter, and a politician. After the United States gained independe ...
, who came from
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, married a local widow in 1767, and with her became a successful plantation owner. He later became noted as a general in the
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
. After the war, Sumter represented South Carolina in the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
and the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. The High Hills of Santee name has been in use since the 18th century, when the area became a popular resort for wealthy planters. They built summer homes in the region to escape the oppressive "heat and
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
of the
Lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an impor ...
" during the summer sick season. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the High Hills of Santee was the location of many cotton
plantations A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
, and had a large population of enslaved Africans as laborers. Among the planter families were The Broughtons, The Dinkins, Richardsons, and the Singletons, whose daughter
Angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as Iceland, Lapland, and Greenland. They grow t ...
married Abraham Van Buren eldest son of
Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (Uni ...
and served as
First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...
after his election as a widower president following the second term of President Andrew Jackson. The South Carolina
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
David Duncan Wallace placed the area in what he called the "red hill region" of the state. He wrote: "The High Hills of Santee paralleling the Wateree River on its east attain an almost mountainous appearance. The region contains much good land." The area includes three
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
s, one National Historic District, and several structures 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 ...
. It has attractive outdoor recreational areas such as
Poinsett State Park Poinsett State Park is located in Sumter County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The park is best known for its botanical oddities, combining the flora of the Blue Ridge Mountains foothills and Piedmont of Upstate South Carolina, the xeric ...
and
Manchester State Forest Manchester State Forest is a State Forest in Clarendon County, South Carolina and Sumter County, South Carolina. Founded in 1949, the forest is named after the former site of Manchester, South Carolina, a once bustling town in the early 19th ce ...
. Despite the short distances to Columbia and
Sumter Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumter ( ...
, the High Hills of Santee are relatively rural and isolated, as the area was in
antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...
times.


Historic sites

Historic sites in the High Hills of Santee include three National Historic Landmarks: *
Borough House Plantation Borough House Plantation, also known as Borough House, Hillcrest Plantation and Anderson Place, is an historic plantation on South Carolina Highway 261, north of its intersection with U.S. Route 76/ US Route 378 in Stateburg, in the High Hills ...
, Stateburg; * Church of the Holy Cross, Stateburg; and *
Millford Plantation Millford Plantation (also spelled Milford) is a historic forced-labor farm and plantation house located on SC 261 west of Pinewood, South Carolina. It was sometimes called Manning's Folly, because of its remote location in the High Hills of S ...
, north of Pinewood. Other places listed on the National Register of Historic Places include: * Lenoir Store, Horatio; * Magnolia Hall, Hagood; *
Pinewood Depot Pinewood Depot is an historic railway station located at the junction of East Avenue and Clarke Street in the town of Pinewood, at the southern entrance of the High Hills of Santee, South Carolina. It is the only railroad station left in Sumter C ...
, Pinewood, the "southern entrance" to the High Hills; * Broughton's Graveyard and Singleton's Graveyard, are due south of Wedgefield; *
St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Pinewood, South Carolina) St. Mark's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located in the High Hills of Santee west of Pinewood, South Carolina. On January 20, 1978, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mark's Church. History St. ...
; *
St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Bradford Springs, South Carolina) St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located in the High Hills of Santee, in the antebellum summer resort community of Bradford Springs in Lee County, South Carolina, about six miles north of Dalzell. It is no longer ...
; and * Stateburg Historic District. It includes two of the area's three National Historic Landmarks: Borough House Plantation and Church of the Holy Cross, within its boundaries, plus at least eight
contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...
, including: ** High Hills of Santee Baptist Church.


Notable residents

*
Richard H. Anderson Richard Anderson (1926–2017) was an American actor. Richard, Rich, Richie, or Dick Anderson may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Richard Dean Anderson (born 1950), American actor * Richard L. Anderson (sound effects editor) (1977–2013) ...
, Confederate general, was born at Borough House Plantation. * J.J. Broughton, Five generations of Broughtons with extensive land holdings dating back to "Kings Grant" of Seven miles of property along the Santee. Farming, cattle, logging and Broughton's Mill at Mill Creek. Plantation house located in Pinewood, SC destroyed by fire of 1937. Broughton Family funded the Baptist church and in the 1920s the Presbytrian Church in Pinewood. *
Mary Boykin Chesnut Mary Boykin Chesnut (née Miller) (March 31, 1823 – November 22, 1886) was an American author noted for a book published as her Civil War diary, a "vivid picture of a society in the throes of its life-and-death struggle."Woodward, C. Vann. "In ...
, author of '' A Diary from Dixie'', was born in Stateburg, the daughter of Stephen Decatur Miller and his wife, Mary Boykin. * Richard Furman, pioneering Baptist minister, first pastor of High Hills of the Santee Baptist Church.
Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...
is named for him. * John L. Manning, original owner of Millford Plantation and governor of South Carolina. *
Richard Irvine Manning III Richard Irvine Manning III (August 15, 1859 – September 11, 1931) was an American politician from the U.S. state of South Carolina. He served as a state legislator and as the 92nd governor of South Carolina. Biography Richard Irvine Manning I ...
, (1859–1931), Governor of South Carolina. *
Wyndham Meredith Manning Wyndham Meredith Manning (1890–1967) was a South Carolina politician. Manning served in the South Carolina House of Representatives and was appointed Superintendent of the state's prison system by then Governor Strom Thurmond in 1947, serving i ...
, (1890–1967), South Carolina politician and son of Richard Irvine Manning III, born in Wedgefield. * Stephen Decatur Miller, owner of the plantation, Miller House, later known as Ellison House; South Carolina governor, congressman and U.S. senator. *
Thomas Sumter Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia; a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, a planter, and a politician. After the United States gained independe ...
, early settler and general in the Revolution. *
Angelica Singleton Van Buren Sarah Angelica Van Buren (Married and maiden names, ''née'' Singleton; February 13, 1818 – December 29, 1877) was an American heiress and the daughter-in-law of the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren. She was married to the ...
, First Lady of the United States.


Notable plantations and houses

The High Hills of Santee had many notable plantations, most of which grew cotton with slave labor. Some of them survive. *The Cedars and the Pines, Springhill *Summer Home in Bradford Springs, owned by Capt. James Gaillard of Charleston. * Orange Grove (Dalzell, South Carolina) * Bloomhill, Wedgefield; * Borough House, Stateburg; * Home House, Stateburg, no longer extant, belonged to General
Thomas Sumter Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia; a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, a planter, and a politician. After the United States gained independe ...
, who is buried there; * Brookland Plantation House, Old Charleston Road (State Route 261), Stateburg vicinity; * Homefield, Stateburg; * James Hill, Stateburg; * Magnolia Hall, Hagood; * Marden, Stateburg; * Melrose, Wedgefield, location of Singleton's Graveyard; * Midway, Wedgefield; * Miller House, later known as Ellison House, Stateburg; * Millford, Pinewood; * Moor Hill, owned by Thomas Sumter, grandson of the general, and later by DeSaussure Bull, a descendant of William Bull II; * Needwood, Stateburg; * The Oaks, Stateburg-Wedgefield Road, Stateburg; * Ramsey House, Poinsett State Park; * The Ruins, Stateburg, owned by General Thomas Sumter, then by John Mayrant * San Souci, Stateburg, home of Edward Rutledge, governor; and * Woodlawn, Stateburg.


Places

Places, past and present, in the High Hills of Santee, include: * Bradford Springs, * Claremont * Dixie Crossing * Foxville, also known as Camden Junction * Garner's Ferry, formerly Brisbane's Ferry, originally Simmons Ferry * Hagood, formerly Sanders Station *
Horatio Horatio is an English male given name, an Italianized form of the ancient Roman Latin '' nomen'' (name) '' Horatius'', from the Roman '' gens'' (clan) '' Horatia''. The modern Italian form is ''Orazio'', the modern Spanish form ''Horacio''. It app ...
, formerly Louellen *
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, * Middleton, formerly Clarendon Depot * Pinewood, formerly Clarendon * Stark's Ferry * Stateburg, formerly Stateborough * Stateburg Station * Wateree Junction and * Wedgefield


Transportation


River

The Wateree River was one of the first means of access to the High Hills of Santee. Manchester became its gateway river port. There were ferry crossings at Garner's Ferry near Stateburg and further south at Stark's Ferry near Manchester.


Roads

The major north–south road in the High Hills of Santee since the 18th century has been "Kings Highway". It originally ran from Charleston to Camden. It followed an older trail of the
Catawba Tribe The Catawba, also known as Issa, Essa or Iswä but most commonly ''Iswa'' (Catawba: '' Ye Iswąˀ'' – "people of the river"), are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation. Their current lands a ...
. Today Kings Highway in the High Hills is
South Carolina Highway 261 South Carolina Highway 261 (SC 261) is a state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It travels between Yauhannah in Georgetown County to Kershaw County. Although the highway covers more east–west distance, it is signed northâ ...
. The major east west road is
U.S. Route 76 U.S. Route 76 (US 76) is an east–west U.S. highway that travels for approximately from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Route description , - , TN , 8.9 , 14.3 , - , GA , 150.7 , 242.5 , - , SC , 297.9 , 479.4 ...
/
US Route 378 U.S. Route 378 (US 378) is a spur of US 78 in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. The U.S. Highway runs from US 78, Georgia State Route 10 (SR 10), SR 17, and SR 47 in Washington, Georgia, east to ...
, a four-lane, divided highway between
Sumter Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumter ( ...
and Columbia, which intersects South Carolina Highway 261 just south of Stateburg. This intersection is 32 miles from Columbia and 12 miles from Sumter. The original Sumter to Columbia road was "Garner's Ferry Road," a part of which exists north in Stateburg. Most of U.S. Route 76/US Route 378 in Richland County still carries this name.
Millford Plantation Millford Plantation (also spelled Milford) is a historic forced-labor farm and plantation house located on SC 261 west of Pinewood, South Carolina. It was sometimes called Manning's Folly, because of its remote location in the High Hills of S ...
was sometimes called ''Manning's Folly'', partly because of its remote location.


Railroads

An
antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...
branch of the former
South Carolina Railroad The South Carolina Rail Road Company was a railroad company that operated in South Carolina from 1843 to 1894, when it was succeeded by the Southern Railway. It was formed in 1844 by the merger of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SC ...
ran from Wateree east across the river to Wateree Junction and then north on the west of Kings Highway through Middleton, Foxville, Dixie Crossing, the former Stateburg Station on Garner's Ferry Road, Claremont, Horatio, Hagood and then into Kershaw County. It ran through Boykin before reaching Camden. At Wateree Junction, it met the
Wilmington and Manchester Railroad The Wilmington and Manchester Railroad was a railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina before, during and after the American Civil War. It received its charter in 1846 and began operation in 1853 from Wilmington, North Carolina, extend ...
, which ran from Manchester to
Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...
. In April 1865 General Edward E. Potter and his Union Army troops "discovered nine
locomotives A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the u ...
and approximately 200 cars from the rolling stock of the Wilmington & Manchester and
South Carolina Railroad The South Carolina Rail Road Company was a railroad company that operated in South Carolina from 1843 to 1894, when it was succeeded by the Southern Railway. It was formed in 1844 by the merger of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SC ...
s. His army proceeded to burn, blow up, and otherwise destroy these trains and tracks." During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, much of the scrap metal from the wreckage was salvaged for the war effort. In 1997 the remaining rails and cross ties were removed."Wateree to Kings Creek"
Abandoned Railroads From Sumter today one railroad line runs west to Wedgefield and across the Wateree to Eastover. Another runs southwest to Pinewood and across the Upper Santee River" connecting Remini and Low Falls, SC across the Lake Marion now flooded swamp called Sparkleberry to
Calhoun County Calhoun County is the name of several counties in the United States of America named after U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun: * Calhoun County, Alabama * Calhoun County, Arkansas * Calhoun County, Florida * Calhoun County, Georgia * Calhoun Cou ...
. There is no longer any passenger service on these lines.


Foot trail

The ''High Hills of Santee Passage'' is a
hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...
through the area and is part of the
Palmetto Trail The Palmetto Trail is a planned foot and mountain bike trail in South Carolina for recreational hiking and biking. Several of the sections are also equestrian trails. It will extend from the Oconee County, South Carolina, Oconee County mountains ...
.


Gallery

File:Borough_House_Plantation_(Stateburg,_South Carolina).jpg,
Borough House Plantation Borough House Plantation, also known as Borough House, Hillcrest Plantation and Anderson Place, is an historic plantation on South Carolina Highway 261, north of its intersection with U.S. Route 76/ US Route 378 in Stateburg, in the High Hills ...
File:GenThomasSumter.jpg, Portrait of General
Thomas Sumter Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia; a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, a planter, and a politician. After the United States gained independe ...
, c. 1790 File:Angelica Singleton.jpg, Portrait of Angelica Van Buren by Henry Inman (1842) File:Edward Rutledge.jpg, Edward Rutledge, signer of the Declaration of Independence and later governor File:JRP-SoW, S.jpg,
Joel Roberts Poinsett Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779December 12, 1851) was an American physician, diplomat and botanist. He was the first U.S. agent in South America, a member of the South Carolina legislature and the United States House of Representatives, the ...
, statesman and botanist, for whom the Poinsettia was named died at Borough House and was buried in the Holy Cross churchyard. File:HABS-HighHillsSanteeBaptCh-151182pr.jpg, High Hills of Santee Baptist Church File:Fw-refugees-chestnut-full.jpg,
Mary Boykin Chesnut Mary Boykin Chesnut (née Miller) (March 31, 1823 – November 22, 1886) was an American author noted for a book published as her Civil War diary, a "vivid picture of a society in the throes of its life-and-death struggle."Woodward, C. Vann. "In ...


References


External links


National Register listings for Sumter County


* ttp://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~scsumter/places/places.html Names in the Old Sumter District
Map of Stateburg Historic District


* ttp://abandonedrailroads.homestead.com/sou_wateree_kingscreek_sc.html Abandoned Rails - Wateree to Kings Creek
University South Caroliniana Society, Newsletter, Spring 1998, Haile, Dr. E. Cantey, Jr., Civil War History in the Wateree Swamp




* ttp://www.thestate.com/2013/06/16/2820651/road-to-pinewood-sc-261-filled.html Joey Holleman, ''Road to Pinewood: S.C. 261 filled with religion, recreation''
The State (newspaper) ''The State'' is an American daily newspaper published in Columbia, South Carolina. The newspaper is owned and distributed by The McClatchy Company in the Midlands region of the state. It is, by circulation, the second-largest newspaper in South ...
, June 16, 2013 accessed June 19, 2013 {{coord, 33.984, -80.548, display=title Geography of Sumter County, South Carolina Geography of Lee County, South Carolina