Editing Camden, South Carolina (section)

=== American Civil War and later years ===
[[File:Camden, SC Revolutionary War reenactment.png|thumb|[[American Revolutionary War]] reenactment.]] 
Camden was the source of six [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] generals during the [[American Civil War]]. [[Richard Rowland Kirkland]] – "The Angel of Marye's Heights" – is interred in the [[Old Quaker Cemetery]]. At the end of the war, components of [[William Tecumseh Sherman|Sherman's]] army burned Confederate and nearby properties, including a full block of downtown buildings. The last Federal officer killed in the Civil War was 1st Lt E.L. Stevens of the [[54th Massachusetts]] Infantry who died in a skirmish 9 miles south of Camden at the [[Battle of Boykin's Mill]] on April 18, 1865.

Starting in the mid-1880s the Camden area became an increasingly popular destination for wealthy northern families to spend the winter. Eventually, three resort hotels provided winter tourism activities well into the 1930s and beyond. The town became associated with many equestrian activities and is now the home of the third oldest active [[polo]] field in America. In the winter, more than 1,500 [[thoroughbred]]s call the area home. According to Kershaw County's web site, "Horse-related activities became very popular. That interest in equine activities has continued and today the horse industry is a major part of the county's economy. For that reason, the city is known as the '[[Steeplechase (horse racing)|Steeplechase]] Capital of the World'."
[[File:Aerial view of Duponts "Orlon" Plant, Camden, S. C.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Orlon Plant in Camden.]]
In 1950, Dupont opened the Dupont May Plant in Camden which manufactured [[Orlon]]. The plant was located on five miles of land and employed over 2,000 people.<ref>"History of Orion, Details Of Camden Plant." ''The State.'' June 16, 1950. Received from https://dspace.ychistory.org/bitstream/handle/11030/71910/00000929.pdf?sequence=1</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=DuPont May Plant in Camden, South Carolina|url=https://digital.hagley.org/1972341_1433|access-date=2020-06-26|website=[[Hagley Digital Archives]]}}</ref> For many years it was the town's largest employer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iritani |first=Evelyn |date=2005-07-31 |title=Fostering Goodwill With Jobs |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-jul-31-fi-uschina31-story.html |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1977, DuPont notified the [[National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health]] of a study the company conducted which showed an "excessive incidence and cancer mortality" rate among a cohort of workers who worked at the plant from 1950 to 1955.<ref>{{Cite report|date=2018-10-16|title=Current intelligence bulletin 18 - acrylonitrile.|url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/78-127/78127_18.html|language=en-us|doi=10.26616/NIOSHPUB7812718}}</ref> The findings were liked to a major chemical component of Orlon, [[acrylonitrile]].<ref>{{Cite book|author=Colby, Gerard |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/10725106|title=Du Pont dynasty|date=1984|publisher=L. Stuart|others=Colby, Gerard, 1945-|isbn=0-8184-0352-7|location=Secaucus, N.J.|oclc=10725106}}</ref> Citing issues with foreign competition, Dupont ended the production of Orlon in 1990.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Du Pont plans to discontinue Orlon fiber|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/06/11/Du-Pont-plans-to-discontinue-Orlon-fiber/6377645076800/|access-date=2020-06-26|website=UPI|language=en}}</ref>  Since the closure of the Orlon plant, the town has attracted a number of manufacturing companies such as Hengst GmbH & Co. and [[Haier]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Haier Group — Camden, South Carolina {{!}} Trade and Industry Development |url=https://www.tradeandindustrydev.com/industry/manufacturing/haier-group-camden-south-carolina-2308 |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=www.tradeandindustrydev.com}}</ref> In 2003, Target opened an $85 million distribution center in the town.<ref name=":0" />