It was at that point that the golden age of the rice empire was over, making way for Reconstruction. After suffering damage from two separate hurricanes, it was deemed the original courthouse in Georgetown needed to be replaced.
The iconic structure was built by renowned architect Robert Mills, to who is also the architect of the Washington Monument, in addition to other magnificent structures across the nation, including the Ainsley Hall House in Columbia, South Carolina.
Though the architectural style Mills used for the historic courthouse was popular among public buildings at the time, this particular structure is considered one of the most sophisticated of Mills' courthouses. The architect himself referred to it as "a great ornament to the town. Those principles are reflected in the Georgetown County Courthouse: the courtroom was put upstairs and the ground floor walls are vault-like in thickness.
A plaque on the front of the courthouse honors Georgetown County residents who served in World War I, and was dedicated on Armistice Day in by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The building was expanded in , and the entire facility was renovated around , when the county moved its judicial operations to a new building on Cleland Street. It was at this time that County Council Chambers was moved into what was once the grand courtroom on the second floor of the original structure. Skip to Main Content. Loading Close. Do Not Show Again Close. Sign In. Home Get to Know Us History. History The earliest residents of Georgetown County were Native American tribes, which are responsible for many of the names assigned to natural features throughout the Lowcountry region of South Carolina.
Historic Exports Rice and indigo are the two most important exports in the county's history. Rice By the late s, rice was king. The Historic Georgetown County Courthouse After suffering damage from two separate hurricanes, it was deemed the original courthouse in Georgetown needed to be replaced. Did You Know The City of Georgetown is the third oldest city in the state and the state's second largest seaport.
In addition to the lack of free labor, competition from Southwestern rice growers and several devastating hurricanes ended the once-thriving rice trade by the start of the 20th century. Through the decades that followed, new industries rose to sustain Georgetown.
However, in , during the Great Depression, the lumber company declared bankruptcy and Georgetown entered a period of immense economic decline along with many other areas of the country. Recovery began in when International Paper Co. By , the local plant had become one of the largest paper mills in the world.
By the end of , no ships brought cargo in or took cargo out of the Port of Georgetown, mostly due to silting of the channel leading to the port in Winyah Bay. Tours, by land, by car and by boat, are giving almost daily in Georgetown and its surrounding waters.
More than 60 buildings in the district have National Register of Historic Places status. Find safe-travel inspiration, culinary must-eats, attraction information and more, in your free printed guide or e-guide.
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Automated page speed optimizations for fast site performance. Search for: Search Button. Discover Georgetown SC. Georgetown County indigo came in three colors: fine copper, purple, and fine flora. Trade was brisk, and created fortunes that rivaled the wealth of the royalty of Europe. An aristocratic society of plantation owners was established, and they formed the Winyah Indigo Society. Land was donated and a grand hall was built with rich red brick, which many years later became the home of the area's first free school.
It still stands today in the city as a monument to Georgetown's heritage. However, by the end of the 18th century, great quantities of the dye were being produced in India and the East Indies, glutting the market. As the price fell, Georgetown planters began turning to rice cultivation, which was in worldwide demand.
It was indigo, however, that gave Georgetown County its first real economic wealth, creating an aristocratic society of planters, as well as aiding in the area's ability to sever ties with England due to its financial independence. Wild, perennial indigo plants still bloom in the spring along the roadsides of Georgetown County, years after the industry was abandoned. One of the area's most vocal and powerful planters was Thomas Lynch, Jr. He built his home on the banks of the Santee river, and named it Hopsewee combining the names of the Hop and See Wee tribes.
Another area planter, Christopher Gadsden of Beneventum plantation is remembered for the flag he designed: "Don't Tread on Me! As the Revolutionary War began, local planter Francis Marion, the legendary "Swamp Fox," along with a ragged band of followers, almost single-handedly defeated the British in this area. In , a victorious President George Washington, on his southern tour, recognized these heroes from the steps of the Masonic Lodge in Georgetown, SC.
As the county prospered, gracious living became the status quo. Elegant plantation mansions with formal tea gardens, sprawling lawns, corridors of live oaks, called "allees," all were hallmarks of southern aristocracy. Planter families were well-traveled and well-educated; they raised thoroughbred horses and drank fine European wines. Pawleys Island and Litchfield Beaches became in a real sense, the first resort area in America.
Some say that since they were separated from the mainland by large salt marshes, malaria-bearing mosquitoes could not fly across them. Pawleys Island in particular became a favorite refuge of the wealthy planter families, some of whose homes are still standing today.
Georgetown Business District. As the state's third oldest city, Georgetown dates back to when the town was laid out by Elisha Screven. The four-by-eight block grid is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A bustling seaport in colonial times, tall-masted sailing ships laden with goods from Europe docked here and left with the trade products of the lowcountry - indigo in the mid s - and rice, cotton, and lumber in later years.
Georgetown's Hebrew cemetery c. The older graves in the center of the cemetery have graves that are turned toward the east so that those buried there would face Jerusalem. In later years, due to lack of space, graves were laid perpendicular to the cemetery's wrought iron boundaries. The cemetery is usually locked, but it is easily viewed from the sidewalk at Broad Street. Legend has it that horses were quartered in the stall-sized boxed pews of the church sanctuary during these wars.
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