Ehrhardt is a town in Bamberg County,

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 ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 545.

History

Ehrhardt was named for Conrad Ehrhardt (1832-1908), a German emigrant to South Carolina and successful saw mill operator, who was also the progenitor of a prominent local family of that name. The Copeland House and Rivers Bridge State Park are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Ehrhardt is located in southern Bamberg County at (33.095899, -81.013226). U.S. Route 601 runs through the town, leading north to

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...

, the county seat, and south to

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...

. South Carolina Highway 64 crosses US 601 in Ehrhardt, leading southeast to Walterboro and northwest to Barnwell. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Ehrhardt has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2020 census

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 614 people, 253 households, and 154 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 317 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 40.07%

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 ...

, 56.84%

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 ...

, 1.95% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races.

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 were 2.77% of the population. There were 253 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $22,813, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $31,875 versus $21,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,874. About 17.0% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 23.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Since 2022 it is a part of the Bamberg County School District. Prior to 2022, it was in the Bamberg School District One. The public high school is Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School. Bamberg 1 formerly operated Ehrhardt Elementary School. In 2008 the Bamberg 1 district sought to close Ehrhardt Elementary. Area residents considered filing a lawsuit and attempting to convert the school into a charter school. The former elementary school became the town hall.

Schützenfest

The

Schützenfest A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on thei ...

commemorates the town's rich German heritage and their German founder, Conrad Ehrhardt, an immigrant from Weiterode,

Kurhessen The Electorate of Hesse (), also known as Hesse-Kassel or Kurhessen, was the title used for the former Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel after an 1803 reform where the Holy Roman Emperor elevated its ruler to the rank of Elector, thus giving him ...

, Germany. The festival is held annually.

References

External links

Town of Ehrhardt
{{authority control Towns in Bamberg County, South Carolina Towns in South Carolina