Editing Laurens, South Carolina (section)

==Historic places==
The Courthouse Square consists of four acres that was purchased in 1792 for two guineas, which is around $21,000 (Bolick, 1982). The [[Laurens County Courthouse]] is placed in the center of the square. The current courthouse is the third courthouse. The first courthouse was constructed of wood. It was used as a church, school, and courthouse. The second courthouse was made of brick. Dr. John Wells Simpson built the third courthouse in 1838.<ref name=Bolick /> The courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name=Laurens />

Laurens’ church district has two historic churches, which are located on Caroline Street. Bethel AME Church (torn down in the mid-2010s) is one of the historic churches in the district. Columbus White, a former slave and builder, designed the church in 1910. But the first church structure was built in 1868. In 1877, Saint Paul First Baptist, which neighbors Bethel AME Church, was established. Columbus White also built Saint Paul First Baptist in 1912. The church is styled in Gothic Revival and was the county's first African American public school until 1937.<ref name=Laurens />

The Church of the Epiphany is Lauren's oldest church building still operating.  The church was constructed in 1846.<ref name=Laurens />  The First United Methodist Church represents Romanesque Revival architecture. The church was built in 1897.<ref name=Laurens /> In 1834, the First Baptist Church was originally built. The name of the original church was Laurensville Baptist Church. In 1850, the first sanctuary was built. In 1893, the second church was constructed. The present sanctuary was built in 1958.<ref name=Bolick /> The First Presbyterian Church was organized on April 1, 1832, but the present church structure was built in 1891. The first preacher of the church was Samuel B. Lewers. He served the church for eighteen years. The church is built in the style of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture.<ref name=Bolick />

The West Main Street District is where most of the historical houses are located. The [[James Dunklin House|Watts-Todd-Dunklin House]] was built in 1812. Washington Williams built the house as a wedding gift for his daughter, Nancy. His daughter married James Watts.<ref name=Scrapbook /> In 1843, Nancy sold the property to Samuel Todd.  The Todd family has owned the house for about one hundred years. The house is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.<ref name=Laurens />

In 1859, Colonel John Drayton Williams built the [[Williams-Ball-Copeland House]], an Italian Villa architectural design. Several families owned it before the South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging bought it in 1970.<ref name=Laurens />

The [[William Dunlap Simpson House|Governor Simpson House]] was originally built by one of the first families of Laurens, Christopher Garlington, in 1839. The style of the house is Greek Revival.<ref name=Laurens /> Major Adam Eichelberger bought the home from the Garlington family. Several years later, Major Adam Eichelberger sold the house to W.D. Simpson, the former South Carolina Governor. The Motes family is the current owner of the house.<ref name=Bolick />

Also on the National Register of Historic Places is the [[Charles H. Duckett House]], located off of West Main Street since 1892. Its owner, Charles Duckett, was a freedman who owned a lumberyard and prayed at the Bethel AME Church.<ref name=Laurens /> In 1896, George F. Barber designed the [[John Calvin Owings House]], characterized by its gingerbread details and turrets. The Edna Poole House is also located on West Main Street, designed in the Art Deco style and featured in ''Home Magazine'' and at the World's Fair in Chicago.<ref name=Laurens />

The [[Octagon House (Laurens, South Carolina)|Octagon House]] is one of the two octagonal buildings in South Carolina. Between 1850 and 1859, Reverend Zelotes Lee Holmes built the house. The design and architecture are accredited to the brother of the builder who was an engineer.<ref name=Bolick /> Reverend Zelotes Lee Holmes was a Presbyterian minister and educator in Laurens. The Octagon House, A Home for All by Orson Fowler was published in 1853 was based upon the construction of the house.<ref name=Laurens /> The house was sold to the Holmes family after the death of Reverend Holmes in 1885.<ref name=Bolick />

Other listings on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] are the [[Albright-Dukes House]], [[Lyde Irby Darlington House]], [[Allen Dial House]], [[Charles H. Duckett House]], [[Dr. William Claudius Irby House]], [[Irby-Henderson-Todd House]], [[Laurens Historic District]], [[Nickels-Milam House]], [[Sitgreaves House]], [[South Harper Historic District]], [[Sullivan House (Laurens, South Carolina)|Sullivan House]], and [[Wilson-Clary House]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>