This year the City of Walterboro will celebrate its Bicentennial. The city is rich in history from its people to its historic buildings. Below is a brief history of Walterboro’s early beginnings accompanied by archival photos.
Throughout the year, we will highlight Walterboro’s historical past through the written word and photographs.
Walterboro, SC, founded around 1783–1784 by rice planters seeking a healthy summer retreat, is known as “The Front Porch of the Lowcountry”. Located on higher ground in Hickory Valley, it became the Colleton County seat in 1817, incorporating in 1826. Known for its historic districts and central role in the antebellum nullification movement, the town evolved from a seasonal settlement into an enduring inland community.
Founding and Early History (1780’s-1820)
• A Planned Retreat: Brothers Paul and Jacob Walter, along with other rice planters from the ACE Basin (Ashepoo, Combahee, Edisto rivers), established the town to escape malaria and yellow fever in the swampy Lowcountry during summers.
• Hickory Valley: The initial settlement was in an area known as Hickory Valley, chosen for its high, dry, and cool pine forests.
• Namesake: The town was named in honor of the Walter brothers.
• Growth: By the 1790s, the village consisted of about 20 log houses.
Antebellum and Civil War Era (1820s-1865)
• County Seat: Walterboro was named the Colleton District seat in 1817, with a courthouse built in 1821–1822 designed by renowned architect Robert Mills.
• Incorporation (1826): The town was officially incorporated in 1826. Early infrastructure included the Colleton County Courthouse (completed in 1821), designed by famous architect Robert Mills.
• Political Hub: The town was a center for states’ rights sentiment. In 1828, Robert Barnwell Rhett launched the anti-tariff nullification movement at the Walterboro courthouse.
Sources:
southcarolinalowcountry.com
livingnewdeal.org
achp.gov
