Pomaria is a town in

Newberry County Newberry County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 37,719. Its county seat is Newberry, South Carolina, Newberry. The Newberry, n ...

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. The population was 127 at the 2020 census.

History

Pomaria was first settled in the mid 18th century by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

, and

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

immigrants escaping the poverty and harsh conditions resulting from the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. Many of these immigrants brought with them the beliefs and ideals of their

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

religion. The first meeting of the South Carolina Lutheran Synod was in the house of John Eichelberger, who lived in Pomaria. Some of the later presidents of The Synod lived in or preached in and around Pomaria. Pomaria was later shaped by the establishment of the Hope School. The Hope School was a

Rosenwald School The Rosenwald School project built more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher homes in the United States primarily for the education of African-American children in the South during the early 20th century. The project was the product of the partn ...

to help rural African-Americans attend school. The land was donated by the family of James Haskell Hope, who later became the longest serving Superintendent of Education of South Carolina. In addition to Hope School, the Folk-Holloway House, Hatton House, Pomaria (Summer-Huggins House), and St. John's Lutheran Church 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 ...

. Pomaria was the birthplace and boyhood home of Thermon Ruth, founder of the

Selah Jubilee Singers The Selah Jubilee Singers were an American gospel vocal quartet, who appeared in public as a gospel group but who also had a successful recording career as a secular group in the 1930s & 1940s. History Around 1927, Thermon Ruth (1914–2002) ...

and promoter of gospel music at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre) is a multi-use Theater (structure), theater at 253 125th Street (Manhattan), West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of U ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

.Thermon T. Ruth, with Linda Saylor-Marchant. From the Church to the Apollo Theater (Brooklyn, N.Y.: T. Ruth Publications,

995 Year 995 (Roman numerals, CMXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 17 May - Fujiwara no Michitaka (imperial regent) dies. * 3 June: Fujiwara no Michikane gains power and becomes Rege ...

Geography

Pomaria is located at (34.266535, -81.419580). 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 town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.95% is water.

Demographics

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 177 people, 70 households, and 46 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 84 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 54.8 percent

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 ...

, 41.24 percent

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 ...

, 1.69 percent from other races, and 2.26 percent 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 2.26 percent of the population. There were 70 households, out of which 30 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7 percent 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, 15.7 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9 percent were non-families. Some 24.3 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 10 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.91. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.2 percent under the age of 18, 9.6 percent from 18 to 24, 29.9 percent from 25 to 44, 19.8 percent from 45 to 64, and 17.5 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 124.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,000, and the median income for a family was $49,000. Males had a median income of $24,688 versus $25,313 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 $20,524. About 2.1 percent of families and 9.7 percent 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 12.9 percent of those under the age of 18 and 14.3 percent of those 65 or over.

References

External links

Information on Pomaria from Newberry County
{{authority control Dutch-American history German-American culture in South Carolina Swiss-American culture in South Carolina Towns in Newberry County, South Carolina Towns in South Carolina Columbia metropolitan area (South Carolina)