Williamsburg Courthouse and Historic District

Williamsburg Courthouse and Historic District. . , Designed by Robert Mill, the c.1823 Williamsburg County Courthouse is built on land that was the site of the original parade and muster grounds for the militia during the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods. The building, a fine example of Roman Neo-Classic design, has a raised first floor, a pediment with lunette, and features Doric Columns. Constructed with 30-inch fireproof walls, the courthouse survived a second story fire in 1883. In 1901, a substantial fence around the courthouse provided a public square and hindered entrance of horses and cattle. In 1953-54, the courthouse underwent substantial remodeling, though it still reflects much of Mill's original design., Containing 48 properties that include the county courthouse, public library, and railroad station, the Kingstree Historic District is situated along Main Street, Academy Street, and Hampton Street in the commercial area of downtown. The district offers a fine collection of late nineteenth-century vernacular commercial architecture, featuring details such as arched doorways and windows, cast-iron columns and pilasters, and pressed interior ceilings., With the exception of the courthouse, most of the buildings in the district were built between 1900 and 1920 when Kingstree enjoyed prosperity as a retail and tobacco marketing center of Williamsburg County. The majority of the buildings in the district are a visible record of this twenty-year growth, and the historic fabric of the area remains substantially intact., (captions) , This 1917 painting shows the Williamsburg County courthouse before the front step were added in the 1950s., Much of the original 19th century architecture is still visible in the Historic District., Originally built in 1909 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company, the depot has been renovated and still serves as a passenger stop for Amtrak., The Confederate Monument, erected in 1910, was moved to the courthouse grounds in 1958. Interestingly, the soldier atop the moment is Union and not a Confederate soldier.