Marion County, South Carolina: History and Information

Marion County, South Carolina

Marion County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Marion
Year Organized: 1800
Square Miles: 489

Court House:

P.O. Box 183
Marion, SC 29571-0183

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Marion is named for Francis Marion, an American Revolutionary War general known as the "Swamp Fox."

Demographics:

History

Marion County and its county seat were named for Revolutionary War general Francis Marion (1732-1795), known as the "Swamp Fox." In 1785 Liberty County was created as a part of Georgetown District; renamed Marion, it became a separate district in 1800. Parts of Marion later went to form Florence (1888) and Dillon (1910) counties. English settlers moved up the Great Pee Dee River into this area in the eighteenth century. During the Revolutionary War General Marion's men fought several skirmishes with the British here before retreating to their camp at Snows Island. In the twentieth century Marion County became a major tobacco growing region. Writers Virginia Durant Young (1842-1906) and Gwen Bristow (1903-1980) were natives of Marion County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 494 square miles (1,280 km²), of which, 489 square miles (1,267 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (13 km²) of it (1.02%) is water

Neighboring Counties:

Dillon County, South Carolina - north

Horry County, South Carolina - east

Georgetown County, South Carolina - south

Williamsburg County, South Carolina - southwest

Florence County, South Carolina - west

Cities and Towns:

- Marion (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

- Mullins

city

Incorporated Area

- Sellers

town

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

South Carolina State...

South Carolina

South Carolina Counties

Marion County, South Carolina

Marion County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Geography

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

County Resource Guide

Penn Foster High School