Edgefield County, South Carolina

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Edgefield County is a county located on the western border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 25,657.<ref name="2020CensusQuickFacts"/> Its county seat and largest community is Edgefield.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was established on March 12, 1785.<ref name="1785sc">Template:Cite web</ref> The Savannah River makes up part of the western border of Edgefield County; across the river lies the city of Augusta, Georgia. Edgefield is part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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The origin of the name Edgefield is unclear; the South Carolina State Library's information on the county's history suggests that the name "is usually described as 'fanciful.'"<ref name="stateLibEdgefieldHist">Template:Cite web</ref> There is a village named Edgefield in Norfolk, England.

Edgefield District was created in 1785, and it is bordered on the west by the Savannah River.<ref name="stateLibEdgefieldHist" /><ref name="countyABriefHistory">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="chamberHomePage">Template:Cite web</ref> It was formed from the southern section of the former Ninety-Six District when it was divided into smaller districts or counties by an act of the state legislature.<ref name="stateLibEdgefieldHist" /><ref name="countyABriefHistory" /><ref name="chamberHomePage" /> Parts of the district were later used in the formation of other neighboring counties, specifically:<ref name="stateLibEdgefieldHist" />

Aiken in 1871
Saluda in 1895
Greenwood in 1897
McCormick in 1916

In his study of Edgefield County, South Carolina, Orville Vernon Burton classified white society as comprising the poor, the yeoman middle class, and the elite planters.<ref>Orville Vernon Burton, In My Father's House Are Many Mansions: Family and Community in Edgefield, South Carolina (U. of North Carolina Press, 1985)</ref> A clear line demarcated the elite, but according to Burton, the line between poor and yeoman was never very distinct. Stephanie McCurry argues that yeomen were clearly distinguished from poor whites by their ownership of land (real property). Edgefield's yeomen farmers were "self-working farmers," distinct from the elite because they worked their land themselves alongside any slaves they owned. By owning large numbers of slaves, planters took on a managerial function and did not work in the fields.<ref>Stephanie McCurry, Masters of Small Worlds: Yeoman Households, Gender Relations, and the Political Culture of the Antebellum South Carolina Low Country (1995)</ref>

During Reconstruction, Edgefield County had a slight black majority. It became a center of political tensions following the postwar amendments that gave freedmen civil rights under the US constitution. Whites conducted an insurgency to maintain white supremacy, particularly through paramilitary groups known as the Red Shirts. They used violence and intimidation during election seasons from 1872 on to disrupt and suppress black Republican voting.

In May 1876, six black suspects were lynched by a white mob for the alleged murders of a white couple. In the Hamburg Massacre of July 8, 1876, several black militia were killed by whites, part of a large group of more than 100 armed men who attended a court hearing of a complaint of whites against the militia. Some of the white men came from Augusta.<ref name="meeks">Melinda Meeks Hennessy, “Racial Violence During Reconstruction: The 1876 Riots in Charleston and Cainhoy”, South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 86, No. 2, (April 1985), 104–106 Template:Subscription required</ref> Due to fraud, more Democratic votes were recorded in Edgefield County than there were total residents; similar fraud occurred elsewhere, as did suppression of black voting. Eventually the election was decided in Hampton's favor, and the Democrats also took control of the state legislature. As a result of a national compromise, Federal troops were withdrawn in 1877 from South Carolina and other southern states, ending Reconstruction.

The long decline in population from 1910 to 1980 reflects the decline in agriculture, mechanization reducing labor needs, and the effect of many African Americans leaving for Northern and Midwestern cities in the Great Migration out of the rural South.

Geography

Template:Maplink According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.24%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

National protected area

Sumter National Forest (part)

State and local protected area

Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve/Wildlife Management Area (part)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Major water bodies

Adjacent counties

Saluda County – northeast
Aiken County – east
Richmond County, Georgia – southwest
Columbia County, Georgia – southwest
McCormick County – west
Greenwood County – northwest

Major highways

Major infrastructure

Edgefield County Airport

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

Edgefield County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)		58.03%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)		32.35%
Native American		0.26%
Asian		0.46%
Pacific Islander		0.02%
Other/Mixed		3.52%
Hispanic or Latino		5.34%

As of the 2020 census, there were 25,657 people, 9,176 households, and 6,471 families residing in the county.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 55,285 people, 21,348 households, and 16,706 families living in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 10,559 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.<ref name="census-density">Template:Cite web</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 58.6% white, 37.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, 2.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) made up 5.2% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> In terms of ancestry, 15.8% were American, 9.0% were English, 6.7% were Irish, and 5.1% were German.<ref name="census-dp2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Of the 9,348 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 40.3 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>

The median income for a household in the county was $42,834 and the median income for a family was $57,114. Males had a median income of $41,759 versus $29,660 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,901. About 17.8% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.1% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

At the 2000 census,<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 24,595 people, 8,270 households, and 6,210 families living in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 9,223 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 56.77% White, 41.51% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 2.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,270 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 15.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 32.10% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,146, and the median income for a family was $41,810. Males had a median income of $32,748 versus $23,331 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,415. About 13.00% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.60% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

The Federal Bureau of Prisons Federal Correctional Institution, Edgefield is in the county; it is partially within the city limits of Edgefield, and partially in an unincorporated area.<ref>"FCI Edgefield Contact Information." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on July 27, 2010.</ref><ref>"Edgefield town, South Carolina Template:Webarchive." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 27, 2010.</ref>

Economy

In 2022, the GDP of Edgefield County was $807.3 million (approx. $29,243 per capita).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In chained 2017 dollars, the real GDP was $645.6 million (about $23,386 per capita).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Between 2022-2023, the unemployment rate has been 3.1-3.2% on average.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Some of the largest employers in the county include Dollar General and the United States Department of Justice.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Employment and Wage Statistics by Industry in Edgefield County, South Carolina<ref name=":1" />
Industry	Employment Counts	Employment Percentage (%)	Average Annual Wage ($)
Accommodation and Food Services	343	6.5	14,196
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	222	4.2	46,800
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	530	10.0	42,484
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	52	1.0	24,492
Construction	286	5.4	54,496
Finance and Insurance	46	0.9	46,176
Health Care and Social Assistance	606	11.4	40,456
Information	13	0.2	75,868
Management of Companies and Enterprises	8	0.2	104,988
Manufacturing	1,419	26.8	56,940
Other Services (except Public Administration)	237	4.5	52,676
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	85	1.6	61,932
Public Administration	794	15.0	65,468
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	13	0.2	39,468
Retail Trade	362	6.8	43,680
Transportation and Warehousing	118	2.2	70,772
Utilities	79	1.5	72,852
Wholesale Trade	87	1.6	86,060
Total	5,300	100.0%	51,236

Media

Edgefield has one newspaper, published in the town of the same name:

Edgefield Advertiser, the oldest newspaper in S.C.

The local radio station is located in the town of Johnston:

WLFW

Edgefield is also served by the following television stations:

WRDW-TV News 12, Augusta, Georgia
WJBF NewsChannel 6, Augusta, Georgia
WAGT NBC Augusta 26, Augusta, Georgia
WFXG FOX-54, Augusta, Georgia

Communities

City

North Augusta (mostly in Aiken County)

Towns

Edgefield (county seat and largest community)
Johnston
Trenton

Census-designated place

Murphys Estates

Education

The school district for the entire county is Edgefield County School District.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Notable people

Governors

Andrew Pickens, II 1816–1818
George McDuffie 1834–1836
Pierce Mason Butler 1836–1838
James H. Hammond 1842–1844
Francis W. Pickens 1860–1862
Milledge L. Bonham 1862–1864
John C. Sheppard 1886
Benjamin R. Tillman 1890–1894
John Gary Evans 1894–1897
Strom Thurmond 1947–1951

Other notable people

In addition to its ten governors of South Carolina listed below, Edgefield County was the home of numerous local notables:<ref>See "LEARN ABOUT FAMOUS EDGEFIELDIANS" (Edgefield County Historical Society)</ref><ref>Walter Edgar, ed. The South Carolina Encyclopedia, (University of South Carolina Press, 2006), passim.</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

George Galphin (1709–1780)
Samuel Hammond (1757–1842)
Parson Mason Locke Weems (1759–1825)
Rebecca "Becky" Cotton (1765–1807)
Billy Porter (aka “Billy the Fiddler”), a slave (1771–1821)
Rev. William Bullein Johnson (1782–1862)
Augustus Baldwin Longstreet (1790–1870), a famous author
Andrew Pickens Butler (1796–1857)
Dave Drake (1800–1879?), a slave
Francis Hugh Wardlaw (1800–1861)
Louis T. Wigfall (1816–1874)
Preston S. Brooks (1819–1857)
General James Longstreet (1821–1904), a leading Confederate general
Prince Rivers (1823–1887), a black leader
George D. Tillman (1826–1901)
Martin Witherspoon Gary (1831–1881)
Lucy Holcombe Pickens (1832–1899)
Matthew Calbraith Butler (1836–1909)
Alexander Bettis (1836–1895), a black leader
Lawrence Cain (1845–1884), a black leader
Paris Simkins (1849–1930), a black leader
Daniel Augustus Tompkins (1851–1914)
Alfred W. Nicholson (1861–1945), a black leader
John William Thurmond (1862–1934)
Emma Anderson Dunovant (1866–1956)
Florence Adams Mims (1873–1951)
Benjamin Mays (1894–1984), a black leader
Francis Butler Simkins (1897–1966), a historian
Davis Timmerman, a murder victim whose case resulted in the first execution of a woman in South Carolina's electric chair.

References

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External links

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