Kingstree in Williamsburg County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Williamsburgh Historical Museum

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 15, 2024

1. Williamsburgh Historical Museum Marker

Inscription.
On the site of the first public school in Kingstree, this building, originally constructed in 1917 as a Carnegie Library, serves today as the Williamsburgh Historical Museum. Renovated in 2001, the museum features exhibits that include a c.1880 canoe hewn from a single 20' cypress log, vintage photographs and newspaper clippings dating to 1897, and hundreds of local antiques and artifacts. The Willamsburgh Historical Society owns and operates the museum and and the historic Thorntree House.

Thorntree House, built in 1749 near the Black River in Williamsburgh Township, was the plantation home of James Witherspoon (1700-68), a leading citizen of the community. The home passed to James's son, Gavin, who was the owner when 100 British soldiers and a large number of loyalists led by the infamous Col. Bonastre Tarleton, encamped there in August 1780. The Society moved the house to the present site on South Nelson Boulevard in 1969 to better protect and preserve it. A noted architectural critic stated that the restored house "is a rarity".

Erected by Eastern SC Heritage Region.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education. In addition, it is included in the Carnegie Libraries series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.

Location.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

33° 39.919′ N, 79° 49.752′ W. Marker is in Kingstree, South Carolina, in Williamsburg County. It is at the intersection of Hampton Avenue and East Mill Street, on the right when traveling south on Hampton Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 135 Hampton Ave, Kingstree SC 29556, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s Pee Dee.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds 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 marker: Requesting Transportation From Kingstree, South Carolina to Galveston, Texas (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); St. Alban’s Episcopal Church (about 600 feet away); Carriage Block (about 700 feet away); Williamsburgh Revolutionary War Memorial (about 700 feet away); Willamsburg County Veterans Monument (about 700 feet away); Williamsburg County Confederate Monument (about 800 feet away); Williamsburg County Vietnam Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Williamsburg Courthouse and Historic District (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kingstree.

Also see . . . Williamsburgh Historical Museum. (Submitted on October 16, 2024.)

Williamsburgh Historical Museum and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, October 15, 2024

2. Williamsburgh Historical Museum and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 245 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 15, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.