Georgetown (South Carolina)

Georgetown was founded around 1734, making it the third-oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was established as a shipping point for the plentiful rice and indigo products that were garnered from nearby plantations. Deepwater facilities were later added to the port.

Points of interest

Georgetown Historic District includes some 50 buildings in central Georgetown. The city's oldest extant building dates from 1737. Some of the most interesting buildings include:
- The Antipedo Baptist Church.
- Georgetown County Courthouse.
- The Old Colonial Banking House.
- William Doyle Morgan House.
The artillery battery of Battery White was constructed by the Confederate army between 1862 and 1863, during the American Civil War, in order to defend Winyah Bay.
Georgetown Light is a lighthouse on North Island at the entrance to Winyah Bay. The lighthouse was originally erected as a cypress tower, but it was destroyed in a storm in 1806. Six years later, a 22 m (72 ft) high brick tower was constructed to replace it. In 1867, it was rebuilt after it suffered damage during the American Civil War. Its height was raised to 27 m (87 ft). The light was automated in 1986. Georgetown Light is not far southeast of Georgetown.
Hobcaw Barony is a nature and research preserve on the Waccamaw Neck peninsula, not far from Georgetown. It includes Hobcaw House, which was built in 1930 and the Bellefield Plantation, which was established in 1936. There are more than 30 other historic buildings in the preserve.
The John S. Pyatt House.
The Joseph H. Rainey House, or Rainey-Camlin House, was built in the 1760s. It was home to its namesake Joseph H. Rainey after the American Civil War. He was the first black Congressman in the United States.
The J.R. Smith House is also known as the Mark Moses House. It was once a Jewish School and it is located at 722 Prince Street.
Minim Island Shell Midden (38GE46) is a prehistoric midden (an old dump site for domestic waste), located not far from Georgetown. Numerous artefacts has been discovered at the archaeological site there, including shellfish remains, floral and faunal remains and the remains of human burial sites.
The Old Market Building was constructed between 1832 and 1835. It houses the Rice Museum, which is dedicated to the region's countless former rice plantations. The building sits on an arcaded base. The arched area used to be a open-air market, but the building has also been used as a town hall, a jail and a slave market. In 1842, a clock was added to its tower.
The Pee Dee River Rice Planters Historic District consists of a series of historic rice plantation properties and historic sites, located not far from Georgetown.
One of the most interesting sights in Georgetown is Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church, which dates from the 1740s. The church was built of English red bricks, while local oyster shell was used as mortar. It is located at the corner of Broad and Highmarket streets.
The Winyah Indigo School is a historic school building that was constructed in the Classical Revival style in 1908. An auditorium extension and high school addition were built in 1924.

Rice Mill Chimneys

There are 7 extant rice mill chimneys around Georgetown. They include:

The Belle Isle Rice Mill Chimney is the only remaining part from a historic rice mill.
The Nightingale Hall Rice Mill Chimney is also known as Nightingale Plantation. It is a historic rice mill chimney and all that remains of the Nightingale Rice Mill. The chimney is located on the Pee Dee River, not far from Georgetown.
The Weehaw Rice Mill Chimney is all that remains of a historic rice mill. The mill was one of the first rice plantations in the region. It sits on the Black River not far from Georgetown.

Plantations around Georgetown

The Annandale Plantation was founded as Milbrook in 1833. Its name was later changed to Annandale It is located in the vicinity of Georgetown.
Arcadia Plantation was originally known as Prospect Hill Plantation. It was established in 1794. The plantation is about 8 km (5 mi) to the east of Georgetown.
Beneventum Plantation House was originally also called Prospect Hill Plantation. It dates from 1750 and it is not far from Georgetown.
Black River Plantation House is also known as Rice Hope Plantation, Black River and International Paper Company House. It dates from 1919 and it is not far from town.
Brookgreen Gardens consists of several themed gardens with sculptures. It also includes a zoo. It was founded in 1932 and it is located just south of Murrells Inlet, not far from Georgetown.
Chicora Wood Plantation was originally known as Matanzas. It was established in the 1730s as a rice plantation. The plantation house was built in 1819. It is located in the Pee Dee River Rice Planters Historic District, not far from Georgetown.
The octagonal shaped Fairfield Rice Mill Chimney is all that remains of the former rice mill of Fairfield. In the 1930s, the mill's machinery, including its steam engine and boiler, were moved to Henry Ford's Greenfield Village, which opererates them as part of a museum exhibit. The chimney is located near the Waccamaw River, not far from town.
Friendfield Plantation is a plantation near Georgetown that was composed of parts of 6 former historic plantations. It includes Friendship House, which was built between 1931 and 1936.
Hopsewee is a plantation house that was built in 1735. It is also known as the Thomas Lynch, Jr. Birthplace or Hopsewee-on-the-Santee. The building was the main house of a rice plantation. It was built in 1735 and it was the birthplace of Thomas Lynch, Jr., who was a Founding Father and one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence.
The Keithfield Plantation was originally established as a rice plantation in 1866. The main house burned down in the 20th century, but a slave cabin from 1830 can still be seen there. The plantation is located on the Black River, not far from town.
The Mansfield Plantation is a antebellum rice plantation that was originally established in 1718. it has been beautifully preserved and it sits on the banks of the Black River, not far from Georgetown.
The Milldam Rice Mill is also known as the Kinloch Plantation. The former rice plantation sits on the Santee River, close to Georgetown. There used to be a Rice Barn on the site, but it was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
The historic Rural Hall Plantation House was built around 1850. It is located not far from Georgetown.
Wicklow Hall Plantation consists of the plantation house and several dependencies. Most of the buildings were constructed during the 1830s. The main building was extended in 1912. The complex is located close to Georgetown.

Georgetown has always been an important port of entry to the United States. It is a shipping center, but the production of wire, lumber and paper, as well as textile printing, are important too. Tourism is also a significant industry.

There are many hotels and restaurants in Georgetown. The city is in the east of South Carolina, on the Sampit River at its entrance into Winyah Bay, about 24 km (15 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean. Georgetown is 180 km southeast from Columbia and 640 km south from Washington D.C.

Georgetown (South Carolina)

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