Kershaw County, SC Real Estate Info by Midlands Home Team

Kershaw County, South Carolina Real Estate
History, Horses, and Hospitality

Kershaw County, South Carolina

Kershaw County is located in the State of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 52,647. The 2005 census estimate placed the population at 56,486. Its county seat is Camden, SC. Kershaw County is part of the Columbia, South Carolina, Metropolitan Area.

Rich in heritage, Camden and Kershaw County, South Carolina are places where the strength of tradition and history mingle with the excitement of the present. Accompanying the beauty and southern charm of Camden and its surrounding communities is the fast-paced world of steeplechase racing and other equine and recreational offerings.

Kershaw County was named for Joseph Kershaw (1727-1791), an early settler. Originally part of Camden District, Kershaw County was formed in 1791 from parts of Claremont, Lancaster, Fairfield, and Richland counties. The county seat is Camden<, which is the oldest inland city in South Carolina. This site was settled around 1732 by English traders and farmers who moved inland from Charleston.

During the Revolutionary War, the British occupied Camden from June 1780 to May 1781. Fourteen battles took place in the area, including the Battle of Camden (August 16, 1780) and the Battle of Hobkirk's Hill (April 25, 1781).

Kershaw County has a rich military history, producing several notable soldiers. The county produced six men who served in the American Civil War as Confederate generals: Joseph Brevard Kershaw (1822-1894), James Chesnut (1815-1885), James Cantey (1818-1873), Zack Cantey Deas (1819-1882), John Bordenave Villepigue (1830-1862), and John Doby Kennedy (1840-1896). Confederate soldier, and hero at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Richard Rowland Kirkland was also from Kershaw County, and served under General Kershaw. Union troops under Gen. William T. Sherman burned parts of Camden in February 1865.

During World War I, two Kershaw County men were awarded the Medal of Honor in two separate actions while fighting in France in October, 1918. The first was Richmond Hobson Hilton, awarded his medal for actions taking place on October 11, 1918, during which he lost an arm. The second was John Canty Villepigue on October 15, 1918, in an action that resulted in his death months later from injuries received. Villepigue was a descendant of General John Bordenave Villepigue mentioned above.

Statesman and financier Bernard M. Baruch (1870-1965) and labor leader Lane Kirkland were born in Kershaw County, as was the first African-American baseball player in the American League, Larry Doby. Former South Carolina Governor John C. West was also from Kershaw County.

This is horse and rider heaven, a land of mild winters, fresh pine-scented autumns, and unsurpassed spring gardens. Famed as a winter resort for some of America's wealthiest families, it was not uncommon for socialites with names such as Goodyear, Whitney, Astor and Vanderbilt to have homes in the town of Aiken. The Winter Colony Historic Districts - 90 room "cottages," unpaved roads with equestrian stoplights, beautiful gardens and a restored late 19th-century inn - recall the town's golden era as a resort for society.

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