Population
Totals for Clarendon County & Incorporated
Towns
Clarendon County:
32,502
Manning: 4,025
Summerton: 1,100
Turbeville: 600
Paxville: 250
Clarendon County
was established in 1785 and was named for
Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon (1608/9-1674),
one the Lords Proprietors of Carolina. The
county seat of Manning has been described
as "the prettiest town from Maine to
Miami." The town of Summerton was a summer
resort used by planters who sought a retreat
to escape the mosquitoes that thrived in the
swamps near the Santee river."Santee-Cooper
Country" is even more important today
for its value to sportsmen than for the hydroelectric
power that the dams and dikes of the Santee-Cooper
Lakes were built to produce. Lake Marion,
named for the "Swamp Fox" of the
American Revolution, Francis Marion, contains
110,600 acres and is connected to Lake Moultrie
by a 6.5 mile Diversion Canal. Rated among
the top three fishing areas in America, Clarendon
County's Lake Marion is world famous for its
sports fishing.Clarendon County is blessed
with excellent transportation advantages with
over 30 miles of I-95, near I-26 and I-20,
access to a variety of motor freight carriers,
and CSX rail. The Port of Charleston and commercial
airports such as Columbia Metropolitan, Florence
Regional, and Charleston International link
the county to global markets. The County's
quality of life is exceptional with beautiful
Lake Marion and several eighteen hole golf
courses. Even with the its recent growth and
development, Clarendon County maintains its
historic southern charm and the ease of a
rural community.
History
Clarendon County, named for Edward Hyde, Earl
of Clarendon, one of the Lord Properietors
of Carolina, was identified since 1732. It
has produced five governors of the state.
It figured heavily in the Revolutionary War
campaign of "The Swamp Fox," General
Francis Marion, and is where he earned his
nickname as the "Swamp Fox." Many
of the first settlers were French Huguenots,
and many early settlers were farmers. The
county seat is Manning, named for John Laurence
Manning, Governor of South Carolina from 1852-1854,
and is the geographical center of the county.Among
the famous women who have called Clarendon
County home are Anne Curtis Burgess who composed
the music to the state song "Carolina,"
written by Henry Timrod; Althea Gibson, the
first black woman to play tennis at Wimbledon;
Peggy Parish who wrote the "Amelia Bedelia"
series of children's books; Marion McKnight,
Miss America 1957; Ann Worsham Richardson
and other famous artists. Civil rights leaders
Harry Briggs and Joseph A DeLaine were born
in Clarendon County. In the spring of 2000,
"The Richardson Waltz" became the
official South Carolina waltz. It was handed
down from one family member to another in
the family of General Richard Richardson for
more than 200 years in Clarendon County.
Distances
to Major Southeast Cities: |
Miles |
Kilometers |
Charlotte, NC |
109 |
174 |
Greenville, SC |
148 |
237 |
Charleston, SC |
65 |
104 |
Columbia, SC |
52 |
83 |
Atlanta, GA |
240 |
385 |
Spartanburg, SC |
132 |
211 |
Augusta, GA |
205 |
169 |
Savannah, GA |
123 |
197 |
| Clarendon County
Government |
| County Seat - Manning |
| Population - 32,502 |
| Founded in 1785 |
| Form of Government - Council/Administrator |
| Council Meets -2nd Monday, 6:00pm |
| Method of Election - At Large /Chair
at Large |
