Summerville in Dorchester County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Welcome to Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site
| | South Carolina State Park Service | |
Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2009
1. Colonial Dorchester Marker
Historical Significance: Colonial Dorchester is 15 miles upriver from Charleston on the State Scenic Ashley River. Its also on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1697, Congregationalist settlers from Dorchester, Massachusetts, founded a town where you now stand. For nearly 100 years, Dorchester prospered as an inland trade center for the region. Trade with Native Americans, the development of rice and indigo as valuable cash crops and infusion of people (slave, planter and merchant) brought Dorchester to an economic peak in the mid 1700s. However, with the frontier shifting further inland, an improved overland road system, amid destruction at the hands of the British during the American Revolution, the town slowly disappeared and was all but abandoned at the close of the 1700s. Today, the South Carolina State Park Service is charged with care and preservation of this historical and archaeological treasure.
Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site Mission Statement
To promote understanding and stewardship of the natural, cultural, and archaeological resources of the colonial riverside village of Dorchester by providing ongoing excavation, research, and public education oppertunities.
Erected by South Carolina State Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1697.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby.
this page online
Regionally, this marker was in the Lowcountry. It was also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: A different marker also named Welcome to Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site (here, next to this marker); Linking Places and People (a few steps from this marker); To Market, To Market (within shouting distance of this marker); Loading Zone (within shouting distance of this marker); Constructed for Commerce (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Dorchester (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dorchester's Merchants: Middlemen on the Road to Riches (about 400 feet away); Clues of Wealth (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Summerville.
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
2. Colonial Dorchester Marker
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
3. Colonial Dorchester Village layout: a display at the Park office
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
4. Colonial Dorchester Fort ruins of the old Powder Magazine, as seen today
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
5. Colonial Dorchester Bell tower of St. George's Church and Cemetery, as seen today
South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, circa 1970
6. Archaeological Dig
Credits. This page was last revised on May 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 17, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,546 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 17, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
