Editing Conway, South Carolina (section)

==History==
Conway is one of the oldest towns in South Carolina. Early English colonists named the village "Kings Town" but soon changed it to "Kingston". The town was founded in 1732 as part of Royal Governor [[Robert Johnson (governor)|Robert Johnson's]] Township Scheme. It was laid out on a bluff overlooking the Waccamaw River in what is now known as Horry County.

For three decades, from the 1730s to the 1750s, [[George II of Great Britain|King George II]] was very popular in the area. The King's birthday was one of the most widely celebrated holidays during that time. However, his successor [[George III of Great Britain|King George III]] quickly grew unpopular with the townspeople. By the 1770s, the region of South Carolina in which Kingston was located was overwhelmingly [[English people|English]], though there were also small numbers of [[Huguenots]] and [[Scots-Irish Americans|Scots-Irish]] people. [[English-Americans]] in Kingston were very sympathetic to rebels in Charleston over the issue of taxation without representation. When the Royal Governor [[Lord William Campbell]] fled Charleston, the people of Kingston celebrated.<ref>The South Carolina Encyclopedia by Walter B. Edgar, 2006 - pg. 222</ref>

Many area residents fought in the [[American Revolution]], and small engagements were fought near Kingston at Bear Bluff and at Black Lake. [[Francis Marion]], who was known as the "Swamp Fox", had an encampment near Kingston just across the Waccamaw River.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/community/conway-south-carolina|title=Conway, South Carolina &#124; Advisory Council on Historic Preservation}}</ref>  The areas of Kingston and [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charles Town]] were communities with a higher population of [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Tories]] than many other Colonial American towns during the Revolutionary War era.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sc_tories.tripod.com/estate_confiscation_lists_of_february_1782.htm|title=Estate Confiscation Lists|website=sc_tories.tripod.com|access-date=2018-04-21}}</ref>

Horry County was created in 1801, and its courthouse was established in Kingston. The name "Kingston" was later changed to "Conwayborough", to honor local hero General Robert Conway. In 1883, the South Carolina General Assembly changed the name of the town to "Conway".