Brick
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Century House
Town Clock
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Fairfield Archives - Genealogy Research
McCrieght House
Museum
St. Stephen's Church
Ridgeway History
Winnsboro History |
History of Fairfield County
Fairfield County is rich in history. From the longest running clock in
America to colonial buildings, the County has many historical
attractions. Located in the upper Piedmont region of South Carolina,
Fairfield County, with its rolling hills and fertile valleys, is
well-known for its picturesque scenery. The County is also known for its
"pines, ponds and pastures" and as a place for people to enjoy
living in a serene country atmosphere. The County is steeped in history
and populated by people proud of their heritage. Fairfield County has
over 100 historical buildings, churches and homes. And scattered
throughout the picturesque county are monuments and memories that speak
of the unique traditions and culture of the area and the Upcountry.
Situated between the Broad River on the west and the Wateree River (now
Lake Wateree) on the east, the area was hunting ground for several
Indian tribes. Arrowheads and pieces of Indian pottery can still be
found on the banks of these bodies of water.
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The name of the town was changed to "Winnsboro" and
incorporated in 1832. The first settler to come to the area was Thomas
Nightingale. His love of horses drew him in 1740 to a "cow-pen"
establishment about five miles from where a town began. Other settlers
came in the middle of the 18th century. These were primarily
Scotch-Irish, a proud, religious people with a strong belief in
education, but also included Germans, English and Huguenots. "Winnsborough,"
settled on land owned by the Winn family, had about 20 houses when it
was occupied during the Revolutionary War by British soldiers under Lord
Cornwallis. The British camped in the town from October, 1780 to January,
1781. Richard Winn, John Winn and John Vanderhorst led "Winnsborough"
to be chartered in 1785 and made the seat of justice for the Fairfield
District. Mount Zion Institute in Winnsboro was the first school to be
established in the South Carolina Upcountry. Begun in 1777, Mount Zion
was the forerunner of other schools in evidence until public schools
were mandated by law in 1878.
The occupation of Winnsboro by Lord Cornwallis during the Revolution
only interrupted classes. A granite marker on the campus is a reminder of
his encampment. Mt. Zion did not close during the War Between the
States, but classes were relocated to the Baptist Church and other
buildings when it was taken over for a military hospital. Federal troops
occupied the building late in the war. The school continued in operation
as an elementary and high school for many years and later as an
elementary school. The facility was closed in 1991.
South Carolina's General Assembly authorized Winnsboro's town fathers to
build a market house that "shall not be of greater width than 30
feet" to allow 30 feet of wagon travel on either side. The narrow
building was modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia and built
on the site of a duck pond. A clock was added in 1837, and the building
has since been known as the Town Clock. Residents boast the clock is the
longest continuously running clock in the United States.
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The County Courthouse, across from the Town Clock, has watched
Winnsboro's daily activities since 1823. Designed by South Carolina
architect Robert Mills, the courthouse houses records dating as far back
as the middle 1700s. Fairfield County has numerous churches, some of
which have been in existence for over 200 years. Perhaps the most famous
church, built in 1788, is the Old Brick Church, where the Synod of the
Carolina for the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church was organized in
1803. A note penciled on the wall of the Old Brick Church is testimony
to a Union soldier's regret at the church's floor boards being taken up
to build a crossing over the nearby river for General Sherman's troops.
The second largest town in the County, Ridgeway, was originally know as
"New Town". The name was changed when the owners of Charlotte
and South Carolina Railway decided not to build the railroad on the
Camden route but to use the "ridge way". Until the early
1900's, agriculture was the primary economy.
The early settlers in the mid-1700's brought cotton to the County, and
it remained the main crop until depletion of the soil and boll weevil
called the industry to a halt in the 1920's. Granite deposits in the
County led to the early development of quarrying. Winnsboro blue
granite, "The Silk of the Trade," is used worldwide in
buildings and monuments. The excellent hunting and fishing that the
Indians enjoyed still exist today. Fairfield County, with an abundance
of deer and wild turkeys, is a focal point for sportsmen.
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Industry has been a part of Fairfield County life since a cotton
mill was put in to operation in the late 1800's in the southern area of
Winnsboro. The mill became a part of US Rubber Company and is now
Uniroyal-Goodrich, owned by , Michelin Tire Company. The economy has been
given a boost in recent years by other industries like Plastech, Mack Trucks and Fuji Copian. The
Fairfield County Council purchased land near Interstate 77 for
industrial development. Facilities for Lang Mekra, isola USA, Maka USA,
all based in Germany, and Gividi USA are located in the Walter B. Brown
Industrial Park.
Please click on the following links to learn more about the Fairfield
County's history:
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