Marion is a city in and the

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 ...

of Marion 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. It is named for

Francis Marion Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the "Swamp Fox", was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Indian War and t ...

, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The population was 6,939 at the 2010 census.

History

The Marion High School, Marion County Court House, Marion County Library, Marion County Museum and Marion Historic District 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 ...

. Some sixty years after the first permanent settlement in South Carolina, a group of English settlers sent out by the Lords Proprietor landed in Georgetown and moved up the

Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River, is known a ...

to the junction of the Little Pee Dee River about halfway between Georgetown and the present town of Marion. Among these families were Brittons, Davis, Flaglers, Giles, Graves and Tyler. At about the same time, and maybe on the same ship from England, came Captain John Godbold, a retired English sea captain. He moved farther up the Big Pee Dee and settled on Catfish Creek. The creek is southwest of and very near to the present city limits of Marion. During its early colonial years the area was part of Craven County. When Craven was divided, this segment of land was placed in Georgetown District and was known as Gilesboro after Colonel Hugh Giles, an American Revolutionary war hero who fought under Francis Marion. In 1785, another division was made and the name "Liberty" was used for a short time to designate this area. On December 17, 1847, when by an act of the South Carolina Legislature a charter was issued to the town, its official name was given as "Marion". The name honors General

, a hero of the Revolutionary War.

Court House

A commission was appointed by the South Carolina Legislature to locate the site for a court house. Court was scheduled for the first Monday in March 1800. The court house was not complete, so it was held in a log building on Colonel Hugh Giles' plantation about two miles below Marion. The section was called Gilesboro or Gilesboro Court House for some time after. The Commissioners appointed to select the site for the Court House were offered land by several land owners in the vicinity, including Giles, but they chose and accepted four acres from Thomas Godbold, a grandson of Captain John Godbold. The present Court House was erected in 1854 and is the third Court House on or near the same site. During the Revolutionary War, the people of Marion County were divided in their loyalties. There were ardent Patriots under Col. Hugh Giles, Capt. John Dozier, Capt. Stephen Godbold and others. Maj. Micajah Ganey and Capt. Jessee Barfield led the Loyalists. Before the end of the war, most of the Loyalists had pledged allegiance to the colonists due to the activities of General Francis Marion in the area. The Revolutionary battles in the county were Port's Ferry, Blue Savannah and Bowling Green. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Marion County was spared damage from Sherman's troops due to the Big Pee Dee River being at flood stage. The troops were unable to cross the river. The county fully participated in the reconstruction and in 1876 there were Red Shirt organizations in every township. Marion mascot is Swamp foxes.

Railroad

Marion County had several periods of growth. With the building and completion of the Wilmington to Manchester Railroad in 1854, business and transportation improved. Gen. W.W. Harllee was the first president of the railroad; the town of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, to the west of Marion, was named for his daughter. The second president was Col. William S. Mullins for whom the town of Mullins was named. Col. William S. Mullins- birth- 1824 Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina. DEATH 1878 (aged 53–54) Mullins, Marion County, South Carolina, USA BURIAL Mullins Cemetery Mullins, Marion County, South Carolina, USA

Separation

In 1888, a part of the west side of the county was separated to form Florence County and in 1910 the upper part of the county was separated to form Dillon County.

Geography

Marion is located at (34.180088, -79.397098). 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 ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,448 people, 2,345 households, and 1,568 families residing in the city.

2000 census

At the 2000

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 ...

, there were 7,042 people, 2,765 households and 1,913 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,081 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 66.22%

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 ...

, 32.14%

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 ...

, 0.14% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.71% 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 1.02% of the population. There were 2,765 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% were married living together, 30.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.11. 29.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.6 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $24,265 and the median family income for a family was $31,844. Males had a median income of $26,917 compared with $21,667 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 ...

was $16,551. About 23.1% of families and 27.4% 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 38.8% of those under age 18 and 24.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Marion County School District is the governing body of the public schools in the area. The school system supports an alternative school for middle and/or high school students, a vocational career center and an adult learning center. Pee Dee Academy is a

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

. Marion has a technical center called Academy for Careers and Technology. Nearby higher education institutions include Francis Marion University, Florence–Darlington Technical College, Coker College, and

Coastal Carolina University Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, ...

. Marion has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, a branch of the Marion County Library System.

Neighborhoods

* Fox Hollow * Williams Park * West Marion * Rogers Park * North Main Street * South Main Street * Highland * East Marion

Notable people

* Levern Tart, American basketball player * M. Warley Platzek (1854–1932), lawyer and

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

Justice *

Armstrong Williams Armstrong Williams (born February 5, 1962) is an American political commentator, entrepreneur, author, and talk show host. Williams writes a nationally syndicated conservative newspaper column, has hosted a daily radio show, and hosts a nationa ...

, the largest minority owner of broadcast TV stations in the United States

Transportation

Airports

* Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR), 43 miles southeast from Marion. * Marion County Airport (MAO) *

Florence Regional Airport Florence Regional Airport is three miles east of Florence, in Florence County, South Carolina, United States. The only scheduled flights are American Eagle to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Facilities The airport covers and has ...

(FLO)

Highways

* * * SC 576 * SC 41

Industry

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

– A distribution plant *Marion Industrial Park *Sunbelt Roofing Service Inc. *Commercial Glass and Metal, an

architectural glass Architectural glass is glass that is used as a building material. It is most typically used as transparent glazing material in the building envelope, including windows in the external walls. Glass is also used for internal partitions and as an a ...

design house and factory *Normont Motion Technology

References

External links

{{authority control Cities in South Carolina Cities in Marion County, South Carolina County seats in South Carolina