Edgefield County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located on the western border of the U.S. state of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,657. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest community is Edgefield. The county was established on March 12, 1785. The

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

makes up part of the western border of Edgefield County; across the river lies the city of

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

. Edgefield is part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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.'" There is a village named Edgefield in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, England. Edgefield District was created in 1785, and it is bordered on the west by the Savannah River. It was formed from the southern section of the former Ninety-Six District when it was divided into smaller

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

or counties by an act of the state legislature. Parts of the district were later used in the formation of other neighboring counties, specifically: * Aiken in 1871 * Saluda in 1895 * Greenwood in 1897 * McCormick in 1916 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. 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. During Reconstruction, Edgefield County had a slight black majority. It became a center of political tensions following the postwar amendments that gave

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

civil rights under the US constitution. Whites conducted an insurgency to maintain

white supremacy White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

, particularly through

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

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.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 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

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.24%) is water.

National protected area

* Sumter National Forest (part)

State and local protected area

* Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area (part)

Major water bodies

* Steven Creek

Adjacent counties

* Saluda County – northeast * Aiken County – east *

Richmond County, Georgia Richmond County is located in the state of Georgia in the U.S. As of the 2020 census, the population was 206,607. It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created on February 5, 1777. Following an election in 1995, Augusta (the count ...

– southwest *

Columbia County, Georgia Columbia County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 156,010. The legal county seat is Appling, but the ''de facto'' seat of county government is Evans.

– southwest * McCormick County – west * Greenwood County – northwest

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Major infrastructure

* Edgefield County Airport

Demographics

2020 census

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

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 55,285 people, 21,348 households, and 16,706 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 10,559 housing units at an average density of . 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. In terms of ancestry, 15.8% were American, 9.0% were English, 6.7% were Irish, and 5.1% were German. 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. 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.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 24,595 people, 8,270 households, and 6,210 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 9,223 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 56.77%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 41.51%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.44% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 2.05% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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

The

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...

Federal Correctional Institution, Edgefield is in the county; it is partially within the city limits of Edgefield, and partially in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

Economy

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

Dollar General Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico. The company began in 1939 in ...

and the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

Media

Edgefield has one newspaper, published in the town of the same name: * '' Edgefield Advertiser,'' the oldest newspaper in S.C. The local radio station is located in the town of Johnston: * WLFW Edgefield is also served by the following television stations: * WRDW-TV News 12,

* WJBF NewsChannel 6, Augusta, Georgia * WAGT NBC Augusta 26, Augusta, Georgia * WFXG FOX-54, Augusta, Georgia

Communities

City

* North Augusta (mostly in Aiken County)

Towns

* Edgefield (county seat and largest community) * Johnston * Trenton

Census-designated place

* Murphys Estates

Education

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

Notable people

Governors

* Andrew Pickens, II 1816–1818 * George McDuffie 1834–1836 * Pierce Mason Butler 1836–1838 * James H. Hammond 1842–1844 * Francis W. Pickens 1860–1862 * Milledge L. Bonham 1862–1864 * John C. Sheppard 1886 * Benjamin R. Tillman 1890–1894 * John Gary Evans 1894–1897 * Strom Thurmond 1947–1951

Other notable people

In addition to its ten governors of South Carolina listed below, Edgefield County was the home of numerous local notables:Walter Edgar, ed. ''The South Carolina Encyclopedia,'' (University of South Carolina Press, 2006), passim. *

George Galphin George Galphin (1708–1780) was an American businessman specializing in Indian Trade, an Indian Commissioner, and plantation owner who lived and conducted business in the colonies of Georgia and South Carolina, primarily around the area known ...

(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 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 * Davis Timmerman, a murder victim whose case resulted in the first execution of a woman in South Carolina's electric chair.

References

External links

* *
Edgefield County Chamber of Commerce

Edgefield County history and images
{{Authority control 1785 establishments in South Carolina Augusta metropolitan area Populated places established in 1785