Laurens County is named for the South Carolina patriot
from Charleston, Henry Laurens. For a time, Laurens was President of the
Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. He was captured by the
British while on his way to Europe to gain support for the colonies' cause,
was imprisoned in the Tower of London, and, after his release at the end
of the war, was sent to Paris to help negotiate the peace
1990 CENSUS: 58,092 1995 ESTIMATE: 60,800
713 Square Miles
Temperate, with a mean annual temperature of 61.5 degrees F.
Average seasonal temperatures are: January, 43.2; July, 79.5. Average daily
relative humidity: 75% at 1 AM; 79% at 7 AM; 51% at 1 PM; and 60% at 7
PM. The mean annual precipitation is 47 inches, and the average growing
season is 229 days.
Laurens County is relatively level in
its eastern and southern portions, with rolling, wooded hills dominating
the northern and western sections. Located in the Piedmont area of the
state, it is bounded on the northeast side by the Enoree River, and by
Lake Greenwood and the Saluda River on the southwest side. Counties adjoining
Laurens are: Abbeville, Greenville, Greenwood, Newberry, Spartanburg, and
Union. Laurens County lies between the 34th and 35th parallels of latitude,
and the 82nd meridian of longitude passes near the center of the county.
The elevation of the highest point in the county is 751 feet and the lowest
point 400 feet. The elevation of the county seat, Laurens is 589 feet.
Laurens.
Clinton - 7,987 Laurens - 9,694
Industries: Textiles, plastics,
metal bearings, ceramics, cardboard containers, pipes and commercial valves,
printing, automotive parts and supplies, and warehouse distribution centers.
Agriculture: Timber, cattle, soybean, pork, poultry, apples, peaches, and
grain.
Presbyterian College, founded in 1880 and located in Clinton,
is a coeducational, liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately
1,100. For several years, US NEWS & WORLD REPORT has listed PC as one
of the top small colleges in the nation. In addition to its excellent academic
reputation and well-rounded sports program, the college is a key cultural
and entertainment resource for Laurens County. Thornwell Home and School
in Clinton, founded in 1875, is widely known for the cottage plan it pioneered.
A beautiful campus of stone buildings, many trees, and landscaping with
roses and azaleas, the School division provides the area with the opportunity
for private education, grades K-12. The institution is owned and controlled
by the Presbyterian Synods of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Whitten
Center, founded in 1918, is a state institution for the mentally retarded.
The institution is located in the City of Clinton. The Laurens County Library
operates a 23,000 square-foot Headquarters Facility in Laurens, a full-service
branch in Clinton, and a small branch in Joanna. There is a bookmobile,
and deposits of large-type books are maintained at residential facilities
for senior citizens. The library system has 110,000 volumes and maintains
an extensive local history and genealogy collection in the Laurens Library.
For recreation, excellent YMCA facilities with indoor
swimming pools, tennis courts, health clubs, weight and workout rooms,
craft rooms, and handball and racquetball courts are located in modern,
up-to-date facilities in both Clinton and Laurens. The cities of Laurens
and Clinton and Laurens County operate parks with tennis courts, baseball
and softball fields, and other recreational facilities. Lake Greenwood
is an excellent recreational resource, and Lake Rabon, a county water reservoir,
provides water recreational opportunities including limited boating. There
are three golf courses in the county, and the Sumter National Forest provides
public hunting and hiking areas.
The James Dunklin House in Laurens, built in 1812,
is an outstanding example of "up-country architecture of the Federal period".
It is open to the public. Duncan's Creek Presbyterian Church is the oldest
church organization in the upper part of the state. Founded in 1753, the
current building, located off Highway 72 a few miles northeast of Clinton,
was erected in 1842. The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Laurens, erected
in 1846, is the oldest church building still in use in the City of Laurens.
The Home of Peace at Thornwell Home and School, Clinton, was erected in
1874 and was the first building of the institution. Today, it is a museum.
The Duckett House in Laurens was the home of Charles H. Duckett, a prominent
black businessman who died in 1947 at the age of 87. For many years, he
was the only African- American in the Southeast operating a retail lumber
business. Efforts are underway to restore this home located in Laurens.
The Laurens County Courthouse was built 1835-1840. It was enlarged and
remodeled in 1911. Located in the Public Square in Laurens, it is of the
Greek Revival style.
Laurens County is a part of the original Ninety Six District.
In 1785, nine years after Independence, the General Assembly passed an
act creating six counties (Laurens, Newberry, Abbeville, Edgefield, Spartanburg,
and Union) from the District. The county was settled by Scotch Irish with
many of their descendants still residing in the area. After the county
was created, a nucleus of a town was started as the county seat. Eventually
to become known as Laurens, a charter was issued for Laurensville in December
1845. The first record of the town being officially called Laurens appears
on a charter issued in 1873. The other major city of the county, Clinton,
grew up eight miles east of the county seat. The settlement started at
the intersection of the main roads between Greenville and Columbia, and
Spartanburg and Augusta. Named for Laurensville lawyer Henry Clinton Young
who helped lay out the first streets, Clinton was first granted a charter
in 1852. Dr. William P. Jacobs moved to Clinton in 1864, and he was responsible
for the formation of Thornwell Orphanage and Presbyterian College in the
town. The 1890's saw the town being served by two railroads and the growth
of the community boomed. During the early 1900's, the county became a large
textile center with several major cotton mills being constructed in Laurens,
Clinton, and Joanna. More recently, as dependence on cotton declined, industry
and agriculture has diversified. The 1970's brought little industrial development
to the county, but since 1980, several new industries and distribution
centers have located here.
Anne Pamela Cunningham of Laurens County organized
the movement for the acquisition and restoration of Mount Vernon, the home
of George Washington. She is entitled to the full credit for the preservation
of this home of our country's first president as a national shrine. She
is a member of the South Carolina Hall of Fame. Charles H. Duckett was
a prominent black farmer, carpenter, contractor, and funeral home proprietor
and for many years was the only African-American in the Southeast operating
a retail lumber business. Dr. Wil Lou Gray initiated a program of adult,
night education in the Young's community of Laurens County. Her program
was adopted on a state-wide basis, and she became recognized nationally
as an effective leader in the campaign against illiteracy. She is a member
of the South Carolina Hall of Fame. Henry McDaniel, a noted Black politician
from Laurens County, served in the South Carolina Legislature from 1868
until 1872. He proposed several bills to in- corporate churches throughout
the county and was responsible for getting several roads established. Admiral
Sam McGowan served as Paymaster General of the Navy during World War I
and, after his retirement, served as Chief Highway Commissioner for the
State of South Carolina. Thomas Sanders, 1860-1945, was an educator and
humanitarian. His parents had been slaves, but he obtained an education
and came to Laurens in 1895 to teach. Sander's achievements included bringing
education for Laurens' black citizens from almost nothing to a very organized
system. Well respected, one of the public schools in Laurens today bears
his name. Sanders was featured in Ripley's "Believe It or Not" for not
missing a day of school for 53 years. Pratt S. Suber, 1843-1929, was a
former slave who became Laurens County's first county school Commissioner
of Education when the office was established in 1871. Suber also served
Laurens County in the South Carolina House of Representatives. From 1874
until 1876, he served as the first county Superintendent of Education.
Columbus White, 1857-1945, was a leading contractor, architect, and builder.
Two structures he designed and built in the City of Laurens, Bethel AME
Church and the Brown-Franklin Building, are still standing and are on the
National Register of Historic Places. Two of South Carolina's governors
have been from Laurens County: Robert A. Cooper and William D. Simpson.
The Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Center,
located in Laurens, is operated by the South Carolina Baptist Church. The
focal point of the campus is the Villa, a home built in 1859 of the Italian
villa style, which houses offices and serves as a social center. Residential
facilities include individual cottages, patio homes, apartments, dormitory
rooms, and an eighty-eight bed skilled nursing unit. The Presbyterian Home
of South Carolina operates two campuses in Clinton. The Clinton Home has
cottages, apartments, rooms, and the sixty-six bed Kerr-Johnson Infirmary.
Frampton Hall is centrally located in town and has apartments and rooms.
The Laurens County Hospital, constructed in 1989, is
a modern, well-equipped, all private room hospital. Approximately forty
physicians practice at the hospital, and specialties represented include
family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology,
general surgery, urology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, radiology, emergency
medicine, and anesthesiology
Jacobs, William P., ed. LAURENS COUNTY SCRAPBOOK.
Laurens County Historical Society, 1982. Bolick, Julian Stevenson. A LAURENS
COUNTY SKETCHBOOK, Clinton, S. C., Jacobs Press, 1973.
Laurens County Chamber of Commerce
P. O.
Box 248
Laurens, S. C. 29360
Phone: 864-833-2716
Laurens County Historical Society
P. O. Box 292
Laurens, S. C. 29360