Editing Union County, South Carolina (section)

===Antebellum period===
During the early 1800s settlers developed large-scale cotton growing in the fertile soil of southern Union County, based on the use of enslaved labor. The demand for slaves in the Deep South drove the domestic market, and more than one million slaves were forcibly transported to the South in the antebellum years. There were numerous plantations in the county, several that are still standing, such as [[Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site|Rose Hill Plantation]] and the [[Cross Keys House]]. Rose Hill was the home of South Carolina's "Secession Governor," [[William Henry Gist]]. The northern section of the county was mostly home to yeoman farmers and small scale planters who owned fewer slaves.<ref name="auto"/>

The county grew steadily during the antebellum period but remained almost fully agrarian. Stores and other businesses were established in the town of Union and a new courthouse and jail were designed for the town in 1823 by famed architect [[Robert Mills (architect)|Robert Mills]], designer of the Washington Monument. The courthouse was demolished in 1911, but the jail is still standing and in use by the City of Union. It is located beside the present courthouse, constructed in 1913.<ref name="auto"/>
[[File:Union County Jail.jpg|thumb|216x216px|Union County Jail (1823) designed by Robert Mills]]