Known as “Reese’s Row,” the West Broad Street Historic District features 14 houses designed and built between c.1890 and 1910 by master carpenter Lawrence Reese (1864-1915). Most of the large, two-story homes feature elaborate Eastlake, Queen . . . — — Map (db m224009) HM
On Evangeline Drive at North Main Street (State Highway 52), on the right when traveling north on Evangeline Drive.
In the summer of 1865, just after the end of the Civil War, Federal troops began their occupation of many cities and towns in S.C. Units in Darlington in 1865-1866 included the 15th Maine Infantry, 29th Maine Veteran Volunteers. They camped on the . . . — — Map (db m13570) HM
On E. McIver Rd. at Pisgah Road, on the left when traveling north on E. McIver Rd..
Side A Andrew Hunter (d. 1823), planter, state representative, and county official, is buried in the Hunter family cemetery about 400 ft. south. During the American Revolution he ran a grist mill several miles south on High Hill Creek, . . . — — Map (db m38109) HM
On Ebernezer Road, on the right when traveling north.
On March 5, 1865, near the point where the Ebenezer Road crossed the Cheraw and Darlington Railroad, the 29th Missouri Mounted Infantry of Col. Reuben Williams's command, deployed on either side of the tracks to capture a Confederate train . . . — — Map (db m38094) HM
On Main St. (U.S. 52), on the left when traveling south.
Darlington County This area become part of St. David's Parish in 1768, Cheraws District in 1769, and then Darlington County on March 12, 1785. In 1800 Darlington became a circuit court district, and again a county in 1868. Extensive territory . . . — — Map (db m38101) HM
On Main Street at Pearl Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
(North Side): On fame's eternal camping ground their silent tents are spread; and glory guards, with solemn round, the bivouac of the dead.
(East Side): They never fail who Die in a great cause. While the tree of freedom's . . . — — Map (db m46220) HM
This building, a New Deal project of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Public Works Administration (PWA), was built in 1937 at a cost of $60,000. Called “one of the most modern jails in the South,” it was designed by Rock Hill architect Alfred D. Gilchrist . . . — — Map (db m38116) HM
On Mineral Springs Road, on the right when traveling south.
Darlington District Agricultural Society On May 5, 1846, a society was organized for "mutual improvement in agriculture and to promote the planting interest of the country." Most of the annual meetings since that time have been held at this . . . — — Map (db m38092) HM
On Friendship St. close to Ave. D, on the right when traveling east.
Side A This cemetery, established in 1890, was originally a five-acre tract when it was laid out as the cemetery for the nearby Macedonia Baptist Church. The first African American cemetery in Darlington, it includes about 1,900 graves . . . — — Map (db m38111) HM
This house was built in 1889 by Charles McCullough (1853-1908), who served as town councilman and later as mayor. It was for many years a recreation center for local youth. The Darlington Memorial Center, chartered in 1946 as a memorial to . . . — — Map (db m38108) HM
Famously referred to as the track Too Tough to Tame, Darlington Raceway annually draws over 100,000 spectators. Ticketholders travel from all 50 states and several foreign countries to watch the top stock car drivers in the world . . . — — Map (db m224015) HM
Near Harry Byrd Highway (State Highway 151-34) near West Smith Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
Darlington Raceway, the first superspeedway in NASCAR history, was constructed in 1950 by Harold Brasington, a local race promoter who saw an asphalt-paved track as an advance over the standard dirt tracks and wanted a 500-mile stock car race to . . . — — Map (db m30634) HM
After moving to Darlington County in the 1870s, Edmund H. Deas served as county chairman of the Republican Party for a number of years and was a delegate to four national conventions. A black candidate for Congress in 1884 and 1890, Deas was Deputy . . . — — Map (db m38097) HM
On South Main Street (U.S. 52) at West Broad Street on South Main Street.
Side A Established in 1831 as Darlington Baptist Church of Christ, with Rev. W.Q. Beattie as its first minister; joined the Welsh Neck Association in 1832. The first sanctuary, built in 1830 just before the church was formally organized, . . . — — Map (db m38102) HM
On Weaver St. close to W. Smith Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
Near this site stood the home of George W. Dargan, ante-bellum leader of this area, who served as State Senator, 1842-1847 and Chancellor of the S.C. Court of Equity, 1847-1859. He was a trustee of the S.C. College and a member of the Southern . . . — — Map (db m38090) HM
On South Warley St, on the right when traveling north.
Grove Hill Cemetery, the first public cemetery in Darlington, was chartered in 1889. Citizens founded it “on account of the health of our town but also on account of the great scarcity of space in the church cemeteries.” The original . . . — — Map (db m47812) HM
On Brockington Road, on the left when traveling east.
[Front] Henry "Dad" Brown (1830-1907), a black veteran of the Mexican, Civil, and Spanish-American Wars, is buried 75' N with his wife Laura. Variously said to have been born free or born as a slave who purchased his and Laura's freedom, he . . . — — Map (db m38106) HM
Side A This house was built in 1856 for Julius A. Dargan (1815-1861). Built on land acquired from Jesse H. Lide in 1839, the house is a fine example of the Greek Revival style. Dargan briefly taught school and practiced law with his brother . . . — — Map (db m38110) HM
On West Broad Street at South Dargan Street, on the left when traveling west on West Broad Street.
West Broad Street features several late-19th to early-20th century residences designed and built by Lawrence Reese (1865-1915), a native of Marlboro County who came to Darlington as a merchant by 1887. Reese, who had no formal training in . . . — — Map (db m38174) HM
Side A Tradition says first meetings of this Baptist Church were held in the home of Laura Brown. A house of worship was constructed on the N.E. corner of present S. Main and Hampton streets on land purchased during 1866-1874. The present . . . — — Map (db m38095) HM
On Cashua Ferry Road (State Highway 34) 0.2 miles east of Georgetown Road (State Highway 495), on the right when traveling east.
Marker Front: Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, organized by 1785, first met in a nearby school. It built a sanctuary here in 1791; that year Cashaway Baptist Church merged with it. In 1818 the congregation . . . — — Map (db m38120) HM
On Pocket Road at Pleasant Grove Road, on the left when traveling east on Pocket Road.
This church was organized in 1869 by Rev. Daniel Jesse. Members first met under a brush arbor before building a small wooden church at this site by 1872, when they acquired one acre where the church already stood. The present structure was built in . . . — — Map (db m238119) HM
Here on May 13, 1967, Richard Petty set an all-time NASCAR record by streaking to victory in the Rebel 400, in a 1967 Plymouth. It was his 55th career Grand National win topping the previous career high of 54, set by his father, Lee Petty. — — Map (db m224013) HM
On East McIver Rd. at Riverview Road, on the right when traveling west on East McIver Rd..
Early land records indicate that Samuel Bacot settled in the back country of S.C. about 1770. He served in the State Militia during the Revolution, was taken prisoner by the British in 1780, but with his companions made his escape, avoiding . . . — — Map (db m38093) HM
On Orange Street near Wells Street, on the left when traveling north.
The First Methodist Church was built in 1831 on land donated by Moses Sanders in 1830. This was five years before Darlington was chartered. It was a plain barn like building, not plastered or ceiled. A great revival was held in the church was held . . . — — Map (db m60606) HM
Side A This United Methodist Church was originally named Pearl Street Methodist Episcopal Church. The first trustees were Henry Brown, Abner Black, Wesley Dargan, Zeddidiah Dargan, January Felder, Randolph Hart and Rev. B. Frank Whittemore. . . . — — Map (db m38096) HM
On Edwards Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
[Front] This Italianate house, designed by J.L. Clickner, was built 1856-57 for planter Samuel H. Wilds (1819-1867). According to tradition Clickner returned in early 1865 as a Union soldier and persuaded his superiors not to burn the house . . . — — Map (db m38107) HM
On Timmonsville Highway (State Highway 340) at Hoffmeyer Road on Timmonsville Highway.
Wilson Crossroads At this point the Camden-Mars Bluff road intersected the road to Darlington on property granted to the Reverend John Wilson (1790-1869) by the state of South Carolina in 1837. Wilson, a North Carolinian, settled here, and . . . — — Map (db m224017) HM
On North Governor Williams Highway (U.S. 401), on the right when traveling south.
This church, founded in 1869, was organized by 36 black members of nearby Black Creek Baptist Church, who received letters of dismissal to form their own congregation. Rev. William Hart, its first minister, served until his death in 1872. He was . . . — — Map (db m60602) HM
On Sixth Street close to Cooley Street, on the left when traveling south.
Butler School, located on this site since 1921, was the second public school to serve Hartsville's black community and operated for over sixty years. Known as the Darlington Co. Training School until 1939, it was renamed for Rev. Henry H. Butler, . . . — — Map (db m38137) HM
On E. Home Ave. at 2nd Street, on the left when traveling east on E. Home Ave..
Carolina Fiber Co. One of the first methods for producing paper from native pine wood pulp was developed by J. L. Coker, Jr. As a result, he with Maj. J. L. Coker and C. J. Woodruff formed the Carolina Fiber company, March 20, 1890, to . . . — — Map (db m38132) HM
On South Fourth Street near South Carolina Highway 15, on the left when traveling east.
(Front) This company, incorporated in 1914 by David R. Coker (1870-1938), grew out of his pioneering work breeding plants and developing high-quality seeds. At first focusing on helping Southern farmers grow superior upland cotton, it later . . . — — Map (db m53976) HM
On E. Home Ave. at Damascus Church Road, on the right when traveling east on E. Home Ave..
The church organized as early as 1817 and known as "Wright's Meeting House, Black Creek" was the first Methodist congregation in the area. James D. Wright, an elder who was appointed "Exhorter" in 1826, preached here until his death in 1862. . . . — — Map (db m38139) HM
On E. Home Ave., on the right when traveling east.
Known world-wide for developing new varieties and for perfecting superior strains of agricultural crops (including cotton), Coker, for years was pres. Pedigreed Seed Co., chartered 1918. He was intendant (mayor) of Hartsville 1900-1901; member . . . — — Map (db m38131) HM
On E. Home Ave. at 2nd Street, on the right when traveling east on E. Home Ave..
This silver co., chartered March 5, 1907, manufactured and sold coffee and tea sets, bread trays, bowls, candelabra, and cups. J. L. Coker served as pres., W. F. Smith as vice pres., and C. W. Coker as sec. & treas. By 1908 the company had begun to . . . — — Map (db m38133) HM
On E. Home Ave. close to 5th Street, on the left when traveling east.
Side A Members of New Providence and Gum Branch Baptist churches under John L. Hart's leadership began Hartsville Baptist, the first church in town, 16 November 1850. A union Sunday school met on the site as early as July 1849. John L. Hart . . . — — Map (db m38136) HM
On S 6th Street near Marion Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
Hartsville Graded School The first public school for the black children of Hartsville and vicinity operated on this site from about 1900 to 1921. It was renamed Darlington County Training School in 1918. A new school was built on 6th St. south . . . — — Map (db m60604) HM
On Fifth Street close to Marlboro Avenue, on the left when traveling south.
Side A The Hartsville Oil Mill, founded in 1900 by J.L. Coker, D.R. Coker, and J.J. Lawton, stood here until 1993. A cotton oil mill, it crushed cottonseed to produce cooking oil; meal and cake for feed and fertilizer; and lint for stuffing . . . — — Map (db m38138) HM
On Kelleytown Road, on the left when traveling west.
This house, home of Jacob Kelley (1780-1874), was used as a Union headquarters on March 2-3, 1865 by Major-General John E. Smith, Commander of the Third Division, Fifteenth Army Corps. During the encampment by Federal forces, the mills near Kelley . . . — — Map (db m38123) HM
James L. Coker (1837-1918) came here from Society Hill ca. 1858 as a planter. While serving in the Civil War as a captain in Co. E, 6th Regiment SC Volunteers, he was seriously wounded. Promoted to major in 1864, he was a member of the SC House . . . — — Map (db m38129) HM
On E. Home Ave. close to N. 5th Street, on the left when traveling east.
John L. Hart In 1845, John Lide Hart (1825-1864) bought a 491-acre plantation here. Along what is now Home Avenue, he built a carriage factory, a store, a steam-powered sawmill and grist-mill, and houses for himself and his workers. Hart also . . . — — Map (db m38127) HM
Lower Fork Of Lynches Creek Baptist Church This church, which probably evolved from a branch meeting house built nearby in 1770 by First Lynches Creek Church, was constituted in 1789; Joshua Palmer became minister in the same year. The church . . . — — Map (db m38125) HM
On North Center Road north of Finally Home Lane, on the right when traveling north.
The earliest record of this church dates to 1789, when it belonged to the Charleston Baptist Association and had 76 members. It took its name from, and built its first and later churches near, Swift Creek. The congregation grew after a revival in . . . — — Map (db m218670) HM
This house was the residence of Captain Thomas Edwards Hart, who settled on these lands in 1817, and for whom Hartsville was named. He was a Justice of the Peace, Chairman of the Board of Free Schools, planter, merchant, and was appointed first . . . — — Map (db m38124) HM
On E. Home Ave., on the right when traveling east.
Welsh Neck High School The Welsh Neck Baptist Association initiated this institution as a coeducational boarding school. It opened Sept. 17, 1894, through the generosity of Maj. James Lide Coker, Civil War veteran, local industrialist, and the . . . — — Map (db m239171) HM
On East Lynches River Road, on the right when traveling east.
This church was organized in 1872 by Harmony Presbytery with Capt. Joseph Commander (1800-1883) as its first elder. This sanctuary, built on land donated by Commander, was moved here and remodeled about 1909. Fair Hope, a founding member of the Pee . . . — — Map (db m38171) HM
On East Main Street at Pearl Street, on the right when traveling south on East Main Street.
(Front) This church, founded about 1865, is the first African-American church in Lamar and was long known as Lamar Colored Methodist Episcopal Church. It was organized by Rev. John Boston, a former slave who was its first minister, serving . . . — — Map (db m53696) HM
On West 7 Pines Street at Tomahawk Road, on the right when traveling west on West 7 Pines Street.
(side 1)
The first meetings of what would become St. John Methodist Church took place under a brush arbor. The congregation completed their first permanent sanctuary, a one-room frame structure, in 1867. Having outgrown that building, . . . — — Map (db m222984) HM
On West Lydia Highway (U.S. 15), on the left when traveling east.
The Lydia Rural Fire Department, the first rural fire department in this county, was organized in 1954 after fires destroyed three houses in less than a month. Its organizers met at the store and gas station owned by E. Gay Bass (1913-1997). By . . . — — Map (db m38172) HM
On Wesley Chapel Road, on the right when traveling north.
Said to be Darlington County's oldest Methodist church, Wesley Chapel, thought to be founded in 1789, was the site of early camp meetings. By 1802, the church was known as Gully Meetinghouse and was located about 1 1/2 miles N. The site here was . . . — — Map (db m38169) HM
On S. Charleston Rd., on the right when traveling north.
Williamson's Bridge was built over Black Creek by 1771. In 1780 a part of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion's S.C. militia brigade – the "Pee Dee Regiment" or "Cheraws Militia" under Lt. Col. Lamuel Benton (1754-1818) – clashed with Loyalists . . . — — Map (db m38104) HM
On Mechanicsville Hwy. at Lide Springs Road, on the right when traveling north on Mechanicsville Hwy..
One half mile east of this site Evan Pugh (1729-1802) is buried at Pugh Field near his homesite. He moved to this Pee Dee section in 1762 from Pennsylvania and served as a Minister for the Welsh Neck, Cashaway, and Mount Pleasant Churches of the . . . — — Map (db m38140) HM
On Cashua Ferry Rd. (State Highway 34) close to Georgetown Road, on the left when traveling east.
Owner of many acres north of here, Lamuel Benton was prominent in the Revolution as Colonel of the Cheraws militia under Francis Marion and as forager for Greene's Continental Army. Member S.C. House of Representatives, 1781-87; Delegate to the S.C. . . . — — Map (db m38141) HM
This community center, the first in Darlington County, was built in 1933 by area citizens. The land was donated by E.M. Williamson of Mont Clare Plantation, the cypress logs and other lumber were cut at T.C. Coxe’s Skufful Plantation, and the . . . — — Map (db m38114) HM
On East Seven Pines Street, on the left when traveling west.
Birthplace of L. M. Lawson (1873-1943), attorney, farmer, Methodist layman. Served in SC House 1905-10, SC Senate 1911-14, Pres. Darlington Agricultural Soc. 1938-39. — — Map (db m38170) HM
On Oates Highway (State Highway 403), on the left when traveling north.
Oates, a thriving rural community from the 1880s to the 1930s, grew up around a general store built nearby by William J. Oates (1826-1897). Oates's father James (1786-1873) had acquired a plantation here in 1824. William J. Oates, who moved to . . . — — Map (db m38173) HM
On East Seven Pines Street, on the right when traveling west.
Born in Darlington County in 1859, William Dowling was a descendant of Robert Dowling, who had settled in S.C. in the Parish of St. David by 1773. William served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, 1899-1900, and was . . . — — Map (db m38168) HM
On South Main Street (U.S. 401) at Pressley Avenue, on the right when traveling north on South Main Street.
This house, built ca. 1832, was the home of Caleb Coker (1802-1869) and the birthplace of his son Maj. James Lide Coker (1837-1918), Confederate officer, industrialist, and founder of Coker College. Caleb Coker, a merchant, was also a director of . . . — — Map (db m38165) HM
On Society Hill Rd. at Lumber Road, on the left when traveling south on Society Hill Rd..
March 8, 1776-November 17, 1830 Statesman, educator, pioneer manufacturer, scientific farmer, State Senator, Congressman, Governor 1814-1816, Brigadier General in the War of 1812. His residence, "Center Hall," was ½ mile east. His grave is in . . . — — Map (db m38142) HM
On North Main Street (U.S. 15) at Depot Street, on the left when traveling north on North Main Street.
In August or September 1780 Major James Wemyss’s 63rd Regiment of Foot marched from Georgetown to Cheraw burning and looting Patriot houses and farms. When Adam Cusack, who ran a ferry over Black Creek, refused to take some British officers across . . . — — Map (db m31770) HM
On South Main Street, on the right when traveling north.
[Front] Henry C. Burn (1839-1912), state representative and Darlington County public servant, lived here from 1882 until his death. Burn, born in Chesterfield District, was educated at St. David’s Academy in Society Hill, then at Furman . . . — — Map (db m38166) HM
On South Main Street, on the left when traveling north.
Japonica Hall. This house, built in 1896-97 and designed in the Beaux Arts style by noted S.C. architect Charles Coker Wilson, was the home of Maj. James Jonathan Lucas (1831-1914). An earlier house here, which burned in 1892, had been the . . . — — Map (db m38163) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 401) 0.1 miles north of Carrigan Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Lawrence Faulkner
Born c.1840 and a resident of Darlington County by 1871, Lawrence Faulkner was a black school teacher, later merchant, and Society Hill's postmaster from 1877 to 1889. A trustee of nearby Union Baptist Church, Faulkner died in . . . — — Map (db m38159) HM
On North Main Street (U.S. 15) at Long Bluff Road, on the right when traveling north on North Main Street.
Marker Front: Long Bluff, 3/4 mile east on Great Pedee River, was the site of the first courthouse and jail for old Cheraws District in 1772. The town was known as Greeneville after the Revolution and remained the seat of justice until the . . . — — Map (db m31778) HM
On North Main Street (U.S. 15) at Depot Street, on the left when traveling north on North Main Street.
Marker Front: This depot, built shortly after the Civil War, features a distinctive architectural design favored by the Cheraw & Darlington Railroad during its history as an independent line. The C & D, chartered in 1849, ran 40 miles between . . . — — Map (db m31773) HM
On S. Main St. (U.S. 401) at Pressley Avenue, on the left when traveling north on S. Main St..
[Front] On June 5, 1822, twelve men paid $20 each to purchase books for a library. These men were J. J. Evans; David and Elias Gregg; D. R. W., J. K. and T. E. McIver; Thomas Smith; Alexander Sparks; D. R. and J. N. Williams; J. F. Wilson; . . . — — Map (db m38160) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 401) at Pressley Avenue, on the left when traveling north on Main Street.
Was organized August 12, 1891 with 17 charter members, by a commission of the Pee Dee Presbytery under Revs. J. G. Law, J. G. Richards, and W. B. Corbett. Elders H. A. Womack and J. S. McCall and deacon L .M. Crosswell were appointed church . . . — — Map (db m38162) HM
On S. Main St. (U.S. 401) close to St. Davids Street, on the left when traveling north.
The St. David's Society, organized in 1777 and chartered in 1778, built the first public academy in St. David's Parish ¾ mile northeast in 1786. Alexander McIntosh, George Hicks, Abel Kolb, William Pegues, and Thomas Evans were early officers. The . . . — — Map (db m38143) HM
On North Main Street (U.S. 401) 0.1 miles Carrigan Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
This Episcopal church, located about 800 ft. N., was incorporated 1833. Early members associated with the church are said to have been from the Dewitt, Edwards, Evans, Hanford, Hawes, McCollough, Williams and Witherspoon families. In 1834 the . . . — — Map (db m41415) HM
On Main Street (U.S. 401) at Church Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
Side A This church, the pioneer center of Baptist influence in the area, was constituted January 1738 by Welsh from Pennsylvania and was originally located about two miles northeast of here. The first pastor was Philip James. It was . . . — — Map (db m38144) HM
On Cheraw Street at Union Street, on the right when traveling north on Cheraw Street.
Black merchant and educator Zachariah Wines, born 1847 in Society Hill, represented Darlington County in the S.C. House 1876-78 and was commissioned Captain in the National Guard by Gov. Wade Hampton in 1877. He taught at nearby Waddell School and . . . — — Map (db m38158) HM
On Society Hill Road, on the right when traveling north.
[Front] This house was built ca. 1856 for John Lide Hart (1825-1864), merchant and Confederate officer. Hart, who lived in Hartsville, named for his father Thomas E. Hart, founded a carriage and harness factory there in 1851. In 1853 he and . . . — — Map (db m38112) HM
On Society Hill Rd. close to Harmony Hall Drive, on the left when traveling north. Reported damaged.
Side A This Greek Revival house was built ca. 1840 for John Westfield Lide (1794-1858), planter and state representative. Lide, the son of Maj. Robert Lide and Mary Westfield Holloway Lide, was a member of the third graduating class at S.C. . . . — — Map (db m38113) HM
On Oates Highway (State Highway 403), on the right when traveling north.
Augustin Wilson, whose grave is about 150 ft. E. and marked by a partially embedded cannon barrel, was born 1755 in Va. During the American Revolution, he served with N.C. troops protecting S.C. against Tories and Indians and as an Ensign at the . . . — — Map (db m38167) HM
