unincorporated community 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 ...

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

High Hills of Santee 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".Sumter 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. Wedgefield is also a Census Designated Place (CDP). Wedgefield was so named because its location was likened to a "wedge" into the High Hills of Santee. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was the location of many plantations, notably those of the Singleton family, which produced

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by 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 been Code of law, codified or offici ...

,

Angelica Singleton Van Buren Sarah Angelica Van Buren ( ''née'' Singleton; February 13, 1818 – December 29, 1877) was an American heiress and a daughter-in-law of the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren. She was married to the President's son, Abraham ...

. Today the plantations are gone except for their cemeteries and Wedgefield is today noted as the location of a state park, a state forest and other recreational places. When the railroad came through in the 19th century, the commercial center of Wedgefield developed at the intersection of the railroad, Kings Highway (

South Carolina Highway 261 South Carolina Highway 261 (SC 261) is a State highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It travels between Yauhannah, South Carolina, Yauhannah in Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County to Kershaw ...

) and Wedgefield Road (South Carolina Highway 763). It has its own post office with the Zip Code of 29168. Wedgefield had a population of 3,376 in 2000 on a Zip Code-based estimate. Housing units were 1,343. Land area is while water area is 0.33 square miles.

Demographics

Wedgefield first appeared as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2010 U.S. Census.

2020 census

Places of interest

* High Hills Outdoor Center of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation is located at 2070 SC 261 South. in Wedgefield. It is the center for the ''High Hills of Santee Passage'' 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 ...

. * Manchester State Forest, which extends into Clarendon County, is based in Wedgefield off SC 261 south at 6740 Headquarters Road. * Poinsett State Park is located off SC 261 south at 6660 Poinsett Park Road, Wedgefield

Transportation

South Carolina Highway 261 South Carolina Highway 261 (SC 261) is a State highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It travels between Yauhannah, South Carolina, Yauhannah in Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County to Kershaw ...

, Kings Highway, is the main north–south road in Wedgefield. It runs north to Stateburg and south to Pinewood. Wedgefield Road (South Carolina Highway 763) begins in Wedgefield and runs east to

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. Sumt ...

.

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

, formerly the

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

runs into Wedgefield from Sumter just north of Wedgefield Road and continues to the west. There is no passenger service to Wedgefield.

Cemeteries

Cemeteries in the Wedgefield area include: * Singleton's Graveyard is 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 ...

* Troublefield Family Cemetery * Wedgefield Baptist Church Cemetery * Wedgefield Methodist Church Cemetery * Wedgefield Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Notable people

*

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, (1890-1967), South Carolina politician and son of Richard Irvine Manning III, born in Wedgefield. *

Angelica Singleton Van Buren Sarah Angelica Van Buren ( ''née'' Singleton; February 13, 1818 – December 29, 1877) was an American heiress and a daughter-in-law of the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren. She was married to the President's son, Abraham ...

, (1818–1877), First Lady of the United States, born and married in Wedgefield.

Media

WIBZ WIBZ (95.5 FM, "Z95") is a radio station broadcasting an adult hits format focusing on music from the 1960s–2000s. Licensed to Wedgefield, South Carolina, United States, the station is currently owned by Community Broadcasters, LLC Commun ...

is licensed to Wedgefield.

References

External links

Map of Sumter County

Another map of Sumter County

Topo Map of Wedgefield

Singleton family index to Wedgefield
Coordinates 33.893° N80.518°W {{authority control Unincorporated communities in South Carolina Unincorporated communities in Sumter County, South Carolina High Hills of Santee nl:Wedgefield vo:Wedgefield