Category: Hartsville South Carolina
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TODAY IN DARLINGTON COUNTY HISTORY: Coker College opens
The trustees of Welsh Neck High School converted their institution into a non-sectarian Baptist college. It opened September 30, 1908, as “Coker College for Women,” founded by James L. Coker. Baptist control ended in 1944, and in 1969, the college became co-educational. The Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics opened on the campus in 1988.…
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Arcade Hotel opens for business
On September 1, 1913, Hartsville’s Arcade Hotel officially opened for business. Here is a brief sketch of the hotel from Darlington County: A Pictorial History by Horace Rudisill: The Hartsville Arcade Hotel Company was chartered on August 7, 1912, by J.J. Lawton and Associates. He awarded the building contract to his kinsman, J. Maner Lawton, and…
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Spotlight On: Kalmia Gardens
Located in Hartsville, the gardens, now owned by Coker College, were developed into an arboretum prior to World War II by Mrs. David R. Coker. The old home was built by Capt. Thomas E. Hart (1796-1842) shortly after he purchased the surrounding lands in 1817. The city of Hartsville derives its name from him–he was…
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Prestwood Country Club was founded
On July 3, 1914, the Prestwood Country Club in Hartsville, South Carolina, was founded. We here at DCHC are dedicated to promoting the rich and varied history of Darlington County. So if you enjoy our posts, please Like us on Facebook by clicking here. And, by all means, follow our blog as well.
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SPOTLIGHT ON: John L. Hart
In 1845, a twenty-year-old John L. Hart bought from his brother-in-law Colonel T.c. Law some 491 acres of virgin pine forest. Here he established Hartsville Plantation and thus it was known as late as 1913. The Plantation ran along East Home Avenue to U.S. 15, now known as Fifth Street, which dead-ended on Home Avenue,…
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“A Giver to Everyone”: Remembering Lucile H. Windham
I sometimes think of our files as children, and I bemoan the fact that some are fat and happy and receiving lots of attention, while others are skinny and sad and starved for affection. Ironically, our vast collection of files is housed in the old Darlington County Jail…
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FAMOUS DARLINGTON COUNTY RESIDENTS: Rufus T. Bess, Jr., NFL player
Bess went on to play nine seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders from 1979-1987.
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TODAY IN DARLINGTON COUNTY HISTORY
On March 20, 1890, J.L. Coker, Jr. developed one of the first methods for producing paper from native pine wood pulp. With the assistance of his father Major James Lide Coker, J.L. Coker, Jr. formed the Carolina Fiber Company in order to manufacture and market wood pulp and paper, specifically wrapping paper via the sulphite…