Darlington County
93 places on the trail: 93 highway markers.
Colonial (pre-contact to 1763)
Era of American Revolution (1764-1783)
- 16-50Andrew HunterAndrew Hunter (d. 1823), planter, state representative, and county official, is buried in the Hunter family cemetery abo...
- 16-14Augustin WilsonAugustin Wilson, whose grave is about 150 ft. E. and marked by a partially embedded cannon barrel, was born 1755 in Va. ...
- 16-04Evan PughOne half mile east of this site Evan Pugh (1729-1802) is buried at Pugh Field, near his homesite. He moved to this Pee D...
- 16-47Execution of Adam CusackIn August or September 1780 Major James Wemyss’s 63rd Regiment of Foot marched from Georgetown to Cheraw burning and loo...
- 16-05Lamuel BentonOwner of many acres north of here, Lamuel Benton was prominent in the Revolution as Colonel of the Cheraws militia under...
- 16-03Long BluffLong Bluff, ¾ mile east on Great Pedee River, was the site of the first courthouse and jail for old Cheraws District in ...
- 16-01Major Robert LideBorn May 19, 1734/Died March 12, 1802/Served in the militia of South Carolina under General Francis Marion during the Re...
- 16-11Samuel Bacot 1745-1795Early land records indicate that Samuel Bacot settled in the back country of South Carolina about 1770. He served in the...
- 16-40Williamson's BridgeWilliamson's Bridge was built over Black Creek by 1771. In 1780 a part of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion's S.C. militia briga...
South Carolina in the Early Republic (1784-1815)
- 16-22Darlington CountyThis area become part of St. David's Parish in 1768, Cheraws District in 1769, and then Darlington County on March 12, 1...
- 16-02David Rogerson WilliamsMarch 8, 1776-November 17, 1830/Statesman, educator,/pioneer manufacturer,/scientific farmer,/ State Senator, Congressma...
- 16-17Lower Fork of Lynches Creek Baptist ChurchThis church, which probably evolved from a branch meeting house built nearby in 1770 by First Lynches Creek Church, was ...
- 16-61Mount Pleasant Baptist ChurchMount Pleasant Baptist Church, organized by 1785, first met in a nearby school. It built a sanctuary here in 1791; that ...
- 16-09St. David's AcademyThe St. David's Society, organized in 1777 and chartered in 1778, built the first public academy in St. David's Parish ¾...
- 16-24Wesley ChapelSaid to be Darlington County's oldest Methodist church, Wesley Chapel, thought to be founded in 1789, was the site of ea...
Antebellum (1816-1860)
- 16-82Bethel ChurchBethel Methodist Church organized c.1856 as Jerusalem Church on land said to have been donated by Hardy M. Parrott (1816...
- 16-41Caleb Coker HouseThis house, built ca. 1832, was the home of Caleb Coker (1802-1869) and the birthplace of his son Maj. James Lide Coker ...
- 16-46Damascus Methodist ChurchThe church organized as early as 1817 and known as "Wright's Meeting House, Black Creek" was the first Methodist congreg...
- 16-07Darlington District Agricultural SocietyOn May 5, 1846, a society was organized for "mutual improvement in agriculture and to promote the planting interest of t...
- 16-34First Baptist ChurchMembers of New Providence and Gum Branch Baptist churches under John L. Hart's leadership began Hartsville Baptist, the ...
- 16-38First Baptist ChurchEstablished in 1831 as Darlington Baptist Church of Christ, with Rev. W.Q. Beattie as its first minister; joined the Wel...
- 16-06George W. Dargan 1802-1859Near this site stood the home of George W. Dargan, ante-bellum leader of this area, who served as State Senator, 1842-18...
- 16-23John L. HartIn 1845, John Lide Hart (1825-1864) bought a 491-acre plantation here. Along what is now Home Avenue, he built a carriag...
- 16-55John L. Hart HouseThis house was built ca. 1856 for John Lide Hart (1825-1864), merchant and Confederate officer. Hart, who lived in Harts...
- 16-56John Westfield Lide HouseThis Greek Revival house was built ca. 1840 for John Westfield Lide (1794-1858), planter and state representative. Lide,...
- 16-89Mount Elon Baptist ChurchMount Elon Baptist Church organized in 1831. The congregation was among the first to join the Welsh Neck Baptist Associa...
- 16-71New Hopewell Baptist ChurchThis church was formally organized soon after the Civil War. It was founded by 20 black members of Antioch Baptist Churc...
- 16-67New Providence Baptist ChurchThis church, with its origins in meetings held in a brush arbor as early as 1804, was organized into a formal congregati...
- 16-26Society Hill Library SocietyOn June 5, 1822, twelve men paid $20 each to purchase books for a library. These men were J. J. Evans; David and Elias G...
- 16-72Swift Creek Baptist ChurchThe earliest record of this church dates to 1789, when it belonged to the Charleston Baptist Association and had 76 memb...
- 16-10Thomas E. Hart HouseThis house was the residence of Captain Thomas Edwards Hart, who settled on these lands in 1817, and for whom Hartsville...
- 16-30Trinity ChurchThis Episcopal church, located about 800 ft. N., was incorporated 1833. Early members associated with the church are sai...
- 16-87White PlainsNorth of this road is White Plains, a two-story residence built c.1823 for Isaiah DuBose. It was one of the most substan...
Civil War (1861-1865)
- 16-51"Yankee Hill"In the summer of 1865, just after the end of the Civil War, Federal troops began their occupation of many cities and tow...
- 16-12Attempted AmbushOn March 5, 1865, near the point where the Ebenezer Road crossed the Cheraw and Darlington Railroad, the 29th Missouri M...
- 16-43Henry "Dad" BrownHenry "Dad" Brown (1830-1907), a black veteran of the Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars, is buried 75' N with hi...
- 16-08Jacob Kelley HouseThis house, home of Jacob Kelley (1780-1874), was used as a Union headquarters on March 2-3, 1865 by Major-General John ...
- 16-27James Lide CokerJames L. Coker (1837-1918) came here from Society Hill ca. 1858 as a planter. While serving in the Civil War as a captai...
- 16-39Japonica HallThis house, built in 1896-97 and designed in the Beaux Arts style by noted S.C. architect Charles Coker Wilson, was the ...
- 16-52Julius A. Dargan HouseThis house was built in 1856 for Julius A. Dargan (1815-1861). Built on land acquired from Jesse H. Lide in 1839, the ho...
- 16-48Wilds-Edwards HouseThis Italianate house, designed by J.L. Clickner, was built 1856-57 for planter Samuel H. Wilds (1819-1867). According t...
- 16-19Wilson CrossroadsAt this point the Camden-Mars Bluff road intersected the road to Darlington on property granted to the Reverend John Wil...
Reconstruction (1866-1876)
- 16-90Bethesda Baptist ChurchBethesda Baptist Church organized in 1867 when African American members of Welsh Neck Baptist Church were granted dismis...
- 16-91Cherry Grove Baptist ChurchFormer members of Swift Ceek Baptist Church (3 mi. W) founded this church in 1869, later adopting the name “Cherry Grove...
- 16-44Fair Hope Presbyterian ChurchThis church was organized in 1872 by Harmony Presbytery with Capt. Joseph Commander (1800-1883) as its first elder. This...
- 16-74Jerusalem Baptist ChurchThis church, organized soon after the Civil War, is one of the oldest African-American churches in Darlington County. It...
- 16-66John Wesley Methodist ChurchThis church, founded about 1865, is the first African-American church in Lamar and was long known as Lamar Colored Metho...
- 16-15Macedonia ChurchTradition says first meetings of this Baptist Church were held in the home of Laura Brown. A house of worship was constr...
- 16-64Mt. Zion Baptist ChurchThis church, founded in 1869, was organized by 36 black members of nearby Black Creek Baptist Church, who received lette...
- 16-88Pleasant Grove ChurchThis church was organized in 1869 by Rev. Dnaiel Jesse. Members first met under a brush arbor before building a small wo...
- 16-58Society Hill DepotThis depot, built shortly after the Civil War, features a distinctive architectural design favored by the Cheraw & Darli...
- 16-16St. James ChurchThis United Methodist Church was originally named Pearl Street Methodist Episcopal Church. The first trustees were Henry...
- 16-76St. John Methodist ChurchThe first meetings of what would become St. John Methodist Church took place under a brush arbor. The congregation compl...
New South (1877-1913)
- 16-83Arcade HotelThis building first served as the Arcade Hotel, built in 1913 for $51,000 for J. J. Lawton & Associates. The hotel was d...
- 16-69Bethlehem Methodist ChurchThis church, on this site since 1889, grew out of Sardis Methodist Church, a mission station organized in 1887 with a sm...
- 16-29Carolina Fiber Co.One of the first methods for producing paper from native pine wood pulp was developed by J. L. Coker, Jr. As a result, h...
- 16-54Darlington Memorial CemeteryThis cemetery, established in 1890, was originally a five-acre tract when it was laid out as the cemetery for the nearby...
- 16-31Eastern Carolina Silver CompanyThis silver co., chartered March 5, 1907, manufactured and sold coffee and tea sets, bread trays, bowls, candelabra, and...
- 16-18Edmund H. DeasAfter moving to Darlington County in the 1870s, Edmund H. Deas served as county chairman of the Republican Party for a n...
- 16-68Flat Creek Baptist ChurchThis African-American church was founded in 1877, with Rev. Daniel Jesse as its first pastor. It held its first services...
- 16-59Grove Hill CemeteryGrove Hill Cemetery, the first public cemetery in Darlington, was chartered in 1889. Citizens founded it “on account of ...
- 16-78Harstville Colored CemeteryThe cemetery was founded by two mutual aid associations representing Hartsville’s African American Community. The first ...
- 16-79Hartsville Cotton MillThe mill was chartered in 1900 with a capital stock of $250,000 on 100 acres purchased from J.L. Coker. The mill opened ...
- 16-70Hartsville Graded SchoolThe first public school for the black children of Hartsville and vicinity operated on this site from about 1900 to 1921....
- 16-42Hartsville Oil MillThe Hartsville Oil Mill, founded in 1900 by J.L. Coker, D.R. Coker, and J.J. Lawton, stood here until 1993. A cotton oil...
- 16-77Hartsville Passenger DepotThis passenger depot was built by the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Railroad in 1908 and is an example of an early 20th-cent...
- 16-63Henry C. Burn HouseHenry C. Burn (1839-1912), state representative and Darlington County public servant, lived here from 1882 until his dea...
- 16-25Lawrence FaulknerBorn c. 1840 and a resident of Darlington County by 1871, Lawrence Faulkner was a black school teacher, later merchant, ...
- 16-45Lawrence ReeseWest Broad Street features several late-19th to early-20th century residences designed and built by Lawrence Reese (1865...
- 16-81Mt. Rona Missionary Baptist ChurchMt. Rona was founded c.1903, when the first trustees purchased this site. Early members included the Bacote, Leek, Marti...
- 16-62OatesOates, a thriving rural community from the 1880s to the 1930s, grew up around a general store built nearby by William J....
- 16-86Round O Baptist ChurchIn c.1883, freed African Americans and their descendants living on Round O Plantation withdrew from nearby Flat Creek Ba...
- 16-36Society Hill Presbyterian ChurchWas organized August 12, 1891 with 17 charter members, by a commission of the Pee Dee Presbytery under Revs. J. G. Law, ...
- 16-32Welsh Neck High SchoolThe Welsh Neck Baptist Association initiated this institution as a coeducational boarding school. It opened Sept. 17, 18...
- 16-20William Andrew DowlingBorn in Darlington County in 1859, William Dowling was a descendant of Robert Dowling, who had settled in S.C. in the Pa...
- 16-21Zachariah W. WinesBlack merchant and educator Zachariah Wines, born 1847 in Society Hill, represented Darlington County in the S.C. House ...
World War I and the Interwar Period (1913-1941)
- 16-35Butler SchoolButler School, located on this site since 1921, was the second public school to serve Hartsville's black community and o...
- 16-65Coker's Pedigreed Seed CompanyThis company, incorporated in 1914 by David R. Coker (1870-1938), grew out of his pioneering work breeding plants and de...
- 16-28David Robert CokerKnown world-wide for developing new varieties and for perfecting superior strains of agricultural crops (including cotto...
- 16-92Kelleytown Baptist ChurchKelleytown Baptist Church formally organized in 1923. It was born from a series of tent revivals held at this site by Re...
- 16-33Laurie M. LawsonBirthplace of L. M. Lawson (1873-1943), attorney, farmer, Methodist layman. Served in SC House 1905-10, SC Senate 1911-1...
- 16-57Mont Clare Community CenterThis community center, the first in Darlington County, was built in 1933 by area citizens. The land was donated by E.M. ...
- 16-73Rosenwald Consolidated SchoolThe Julius Rosenwald Consolidated School, built in 1930, was a combined elementary and high school until 1953 and a high...
World War II and After (1941-present)
- 16-60Darlington County JailThis building, a New Deal project of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Public Works Administration (PWA), was built in 1937 at a c...
- 16-49Darlington Memorial CenterThis house was built in 1889 by Charles McCullough (1853-1908), who served as town councilman and later as mayor. It was...
- 16-37Darlington RacewayDarlington Raceway, the first superspeedway in NASCAR history, was constructed in 1950 by Harold Brasington, a local rac...
- 16-84Hough's HotelHough’s Hotel, a two-story, 16-room hotel for African Americans, opened at this site in 1946. Established at a time when...
- 16-53Lydia Rural Fire Dept.The Lydia Rural Fire Department, the first rural fire department in this county, was organized in 1954 after fires destr...
- 16-85Primus ParkPrimus Park was formally dedicated in 1962 as a multi-purpose athletic field for African Americans. Efforts to construct...
- 16-75Round OMuch of the land in this vicinity was once part of Thomas Smith’s Round O Plantation. The name derives from a large Caro...
- 16-93South Hartsville Baptist ChurchSouth Hartsville Baptist Church began in 1950 as a mission of First Baptist Church Hartsville (3 mi. N). Members first m...
- 16-80St. Joseph's Catholic ChurchSt. Joseph’s began as a missionary parish to serve Hartsville’s African American community. Established in 1945, the par...