Orangeburg County / Discovering Orangeburg

Orangeburg County, also, Discovering Orangeburg. . Front , Orangeburg County , Parish House , Built in the 1830s it is thought to be one of the oldest of the plantation summer homes in the area. Acquired by the Church of the Epiphany across the street, it was used for various church activities. Now it serves as a restaurant and gift shop. , Holly Hill Depot , Built in the 1890s, the present depot now serves the community as the Community Center, Tri-County Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center. , Norway High School (Old Willow) , The school built in 1926 was first known as Willow School and later as Norway High School. After the school closed, the town developed plans to turn it into a multi-use building with a visitor center and auditorium. , Edisto Memorial Gardens Visitor Center and Chamber of Commerce. , The Garden’s development began in the 1920s with some five acres of azaleas and has expanded over the years. Today there are 50 beds of roses and the Gardens feature a 2,600 foot boardwalk, picnic shelters, art center and educational program. , Branchville Railroad Shrine and Museum , Located at the site of the oldest railroad junction in the world, this museum celebrates the area’s railroad history and featurs exhibits on life on the railroad. , Elloree Heritage Museum , Located in the Historic District of Elloree the museum depicts the rural life of this section of Orangeburg County. Exhibits focus on the importance of cotton, farming and family life. , Santee Cultural Arts and Visitor Center , Located in a historic school house moved from the town of Parker to the town Hall Complex, the Center features gallery space for changing exhibits, meeting space, tourism office and visitor amenities. , Old Springfield High School , This renovated 1929 high school serves the community as a Visitors’ Welcome Center and features exhibits on education and life in the community as well as a 4,000 square foot auditorium. , Valentine’s Store , Valentine’s was founded in the early 1900s by J.L. Valentine, who ran a diverse farm business that included a cotton gin, fertilizer sales and a general store. The present general store was built in the 1940s and, while a working store, looks more like a museum. , Reverse, Discovering Orangeburg , Claflin University , Claflin University was established in 1869 and is one of the oldest historically black universities in the state. Several buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and display an individual architectural style executed with distinction. The campus is an evolving aesthetic center of architecture and landscaping. , S.C. State University , Founded in 1896 as the Colored Normal, Industrial, Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina, the campus includes 10 historic buildings that date from 1917. Renamed South Carolina State College in 1954, it was elevated to university status in 1992. The campus has the second largest planetarium in the state featuring a forty-foot diameter dome and Sky-Skan Automation. The L.P. Stanback museum features African and African-American works. , Edisto Memorial Gardens: Stop and Smell the Roses , The Gardens stand as the centerpiece of Orangeburg, which is known as the “Garden City” of South Carolina. Featuring over 5,000 rose plants, the Gardens, which are city owned and operated, are an official Display and Test Garden for All-America Rose Selections, Inc. Established in 1926, the Gardens feature roses, sculptures, fountains, century-old moss covered oaks and cypress trees, azaleas, camellias, cherry trees and other beautiful flowering plants. Take a stroll on the 2,600 linear foot boardwalk of the Home Wetlands Park. The boardwalk takes you into a Tupela/Cypress Swamp along the North Fork of the Edisto River, the longest black water river in the world. Other must see areas of the Gardens include the D.P.U. Centennial Park, the Sensory Garden, the Butterfly Garden, the Mountain Brook, the Disc Golf Course, the Spray Park, and the Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center. The Gardens host the Orangeburg Festival of Roses the weekend before Mother’s Day and the Children’s Garden Christmas, a tremendous light display, the Monday before Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. , The Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center , The Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center provides many outstanding performances and exhibits as does Claflin University and South Carolina State University. Art facilities are found on both campuses, at the Bluebird Theatre, home of the Part-Time Players, and at the newly renovated Stevenson Auditorium. , The historic downtown area has experienced much change over the years and has evolved to the point where progressive streetscape projects are underway, which emphasize aesthetics while retaining the unique architecture of the buildings. Antiques and other specialty shops are found in the area., Several historic cemeteries are interesting areas to visit. The more prominent ones include the Pioneer Graveyard, the Orangeburg Cemetery, the Old Presbyterian Cemetery, and Sunnyside Cemetery. , The Great Outdoors , If you are an outdoor enthusiast, one of the finest municipal golf courses in the Southeast. Hillcrest features outstanding playing conditions at reasonable rates. , The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operates a local hatchery which produces many species of fish for stocking. The hatchery also produces shortnose sturgeon, for research and development.