Walterboro, South Carolina
Walterboro, South Carolina | ||
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FIPS code 45-74275[3] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 1251318[4] | |
Website | www |
Walterboro is a city in
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2023) |
Walterboro (original spelling: Walterborough) was founded in 1783, as a summer retreat for local planters looking to escape their
In 1817, Walterboro was designated as the third county seat of Colleton County, and has remained such through present-day. This designation was followed by, the construction of a county courthouse and county jail in 1821. The courthouse was designed by well-known architect Robert Mills.
The town quickly spread from the original Hickory Valley location, after its population experienced a significant increase; this being fueled successively by, the town becoming the county seat in 1821, and the establishment of a railroad line that connected the city with Columbia and Charleston in the 1880s.
In 1832, the Irish Catholic community in rural southern Waltersboro (at one point termed Thompson's Crossroads) established a parish called St. James the Greater Catholic Church, dedicated by Bishop John England. The community later was known as Catholic Hill. After the church was burned down in 1856, and the emancipation of the slaves roughly a decade later, the White community largely left the area. The Black Catholic community maintained their religion for decades without a priest, before a new church was built for them in the 1890s. They became notable in the media in the 21st century, and a documentary on the community was released in 2020.[7][8][9][10]
An airfield was established in the 1930s. In 1942, Walterboro became home to the Walterboro Army Airfield, a sub-base of Columbia Army Air Base, and part of the national network of army air training facilities erected across the U.S. during World War II. The base was established for the purpose of providing advanced air-combat training, to fighter and bomber groups. It also hosted the largest camouflage school in the United States, as well as, a 250-person prisoner of war camp.
In 1944, the airfield changed command and became an advanced combat training base for individual fighters, primarily the black trainees graduating from Tuskegee Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama. Over 500 of the famed Tuskegee Airmen trained at Walterboro Army Airfield, between April 1944 and October 1945, including individuals training as replacement pilots for the 332nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, along with the entire 447th Bombardment Group. The base closed in October 1945, returning to its origins as a local airfield.
The establishment of Interstate 95 in the 1960s, made the town a prime overnight stop on the road to Florida or New York.
Presently, Walterboro is dotted with historic homes dating back to 1820, and a downtown area that has kept many of its historic buildings. The city has become increasingly known as an antiquing destination, and is a popular day-trip from Charleston and Beaufort.
Geography
Walterboro is geographically located slightly north to the center of Colleton County at 32°54′15″N 80°39′58″W / 32.90417°N 80.66611°W (32.904289, −80.666238).
According to the United States Census Bureau, Walterboro has a total area of 6.5 square miles (16.8 km2), consisting solely of landmass.[5]
Climate
Climate data for Walterboro, South Carolina (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1903–1920 and 1936–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 85 (29) |
88 (31) |
98 (37) |
95 (35) |
103 (39) |
106 (41) |
106 (41) |
107 (42) |
105 (41) |
100 (38) |
91 (33) |
85 (29) |
107 (42) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.3 (24.1) |
78.0 (25.6) |
83.9 (28.8) |
87.6 (30.9) |
93.0 (33.9) |
96.7 (35.9) |
98.2 (36.8) |
97.0 (36.1) |
93.2 (34.0) |
87.5 (30.8) |
81.8 (27.7) |
76.7 (24.8) |
99.3 (37.4) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 58.1 (14.5) |
62.0 (16.7) |
68.7 (20.4) |
76.1 (24.5) |
82.8 (28.2) |
87.4 (30.8) |
90.5 (32.5) |
88.9 (31.6) |
84.2 (29.0) |
76.4 (24.7) |
67.7 (19.8) |
61.1 (16.2) |
75.3 (24.1) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 46.7 (8.2) |
49.8 (9.9) |
56.5 (13.6) |
63.3 (17.4) |
71.2 (21.8) |
77.5 (25.3) |
80.8 (27.1) |
79.5 (26.4) |
74.6 (23.7) |
64.7 (18.2) |
55.0 (12.8) |
49.5 (9.7) |
64.1 (17.8) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 35.2 (1.8) |
37.6 (3.1) |
44.2 (6.8) |
50.4 (10.2) |
59.6 (15.3) |
67.6 (19.8) |
71.1 (21.7) |
70.1 (21.2) |
65.0 (18.3) |
53.1 (11.7) |
42.3 (5.7) |
37.9 (3.3) |
52.8 (11.6) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 20.8 (−6.2) |
24.3 (−4.3) |
28.5 (−1.9) |
35.9 (2.2) |
46.6 (8.1) |
59.2 (15.1) |
64.9 (18.3) |
64.2 (17.9) |
54.0 (12.2) |
38.2 (3.4) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
19.2 (−7.1) |
Record low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) |
9 (−13) |
15 (−9) |
26 (−3) |
31 (−1) |
44 (7) |
54 (12) |
55 (13) |
37 (3) |
24 (−4) |
11 (−12) |
5 (−15) |
0 (−18) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.01 (102) |
3.74 (95) |
3.50 (89) |
3.56 (90) |
3.59 (91) |
5.63 (143) |
5.21 (132) |
7.17 (182) |
4.60 (117) |
3.68 (93) |
3.08 (78) |
3.65 (93) |
51.42 (1,306) |
Average precipitation days | 8.4 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 8.1 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 7.9 | 98.9 |
Source: NOAA[12][13] |
Culture
Rice Festival
The Colleton County Rice Festival is held annually at the end of April, to celebrate the county's history with the rice crop, the staple crop until the American Civil War. Post-Civil war, during the Reconstruction era, rice crops still had an important impact on the county. The 2023 festival was the 48th year it has taken place. Each festival hosts a parade, live music, a pageant, run/walk, along with a cooking contest. The Rice Festival is typically, a two-day event, held on a Friday and Saturday.
Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary
The Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest estuarine sanctuary on the East Coast of the United States. Made up of hardwood forest and "braided creek" systems, the Sanctuary includes boardwalks, walking trails, bicycle paths, a canoe/kayak trail, observation areas, and a 10,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) Discovery Center is currently being built. Upon completion, the Sanctuary will be the most significant nature-based facility in the lower part of South Carolina. It is open every day from dawn until dusk and is free. It is located on Detreville Street in Walterboro.
The South Carolina Artisans Center
The South Carolina Artisans Center is the official folk art and craft center of the state. Located on Wichman Street in downtown Walterboro, it is open to the public and free of admission charge. It is open to the public, from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Saturday; remaining closed only on Sundays.
Other attractions
- Colleton Museum & Farmer's Market (East Washington Street)
- Walterboro Library Society/Little Library (Wichman/Fishburne Street)
- Colleton County Historical & Preservation Society (Church Street)
- Old Colleton County Jail (North Jeffries Boulevard)
- Old Water Tower (Memorial Ave/Washington Street)
- Town Clock (East Washington Street)
- Tuskegee Airmen Memorial (Walterboro Army Airfield)
- Live Oak Cemetery includes the burial sites of Confederate and Union Army soldiers, a governor, as well as local and state politicians. Tours are offered through the Colleton County Museum
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1870 | 636 | — | |
1880 | 691 | 8.6% | |
1890 | 1,171 | 69.5% | |
1900 | 1,491 | 27.3% | |
1910 | 1,677 | 12.5% | |
1920 | 1,853 | 10.5% | |
1930 | 2,592 | 39.9% | |
1940 | 3,373 | 30.1% | |
1950 | 4,616 | 36.9% | |
1960 | 5,417 | 17.4% | |
1970 | 6,257 | 15.5% | |
1980 | 6,209 | −0.8% | |
1990 | 5,492 | −11.5% | |
2000 | 5,153 | −6.2% | |
2010 | 5,398 | 4.8% | |
2020 | 5,544 | 2.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[2] |
2020 census
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
2,354 | 42.46% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
2,664 | 48.05% |
Native American
|
16 | 0.29% |
Asian
|
97 | 1.75% |
Pacific Islander
|
1 | 0.02% |
Other/Mixed
|
201 | 3.63% |
Latino
|
211 | 3.81% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,544 people, 2,569 households, and 1,265 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of, the 2010 U.S. census,
There were 2,231 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 years living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,135, and the median income for a family was $32,549. Males had a median income of $27,488 versus $20,351 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,223. About 20.6% of families and 30.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.1% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Ethnicity
As of 2016 the largest self-reported ancestries/ethnicities in Walterboro, South Carolina were:
Largest ancestries (2016) | Percent |
---|---|
English | 9.8% |
"American" | 6.7% |
German | 5.8% |
Scots-Irish |
4.1% |
French |
3.2% |
Italian |
0.6% |
Welsh |
0.3% |
Education
Walterboro is in the Colleton County School District.[16]
Walterboro has several public and private schools in its surrounding area. There are five public elementary schools (Bells Elementary, Cottageville Elementary, Hendersonville Elementary, Forest Hills Elementary, and Northside Elementary, one public middle school (Colleton County Middle School), and one public high school (Colleton County High School). There are two private K-12 schools: Colleton Preparatory Academy and North Walterboro Christian Academy. The University of South Carolina Salkehatchie is the city's local university and Clemson University has a county extension office in the city.
Walterboro has a public library branch of the Colleton County Library System.[17]
Notable people
- William Jones Boone, first Episcopal bishop of Shanghai
- Bonnie Lynn Fields, actress
- Brother Stair, was an American minister and evangelist
- Norman Hand, NFL defensive tackle
- Craig Mack, hip hop artist
- Peden McLeod, attorney and politician
- Dean Meminger, basketball player and coach
- John Peurifoy, diplomat
- Mary Shaffer, artist
- Young Scooter, hip hop artist
- Marvin Herman Shoob, United States federal court judge
- Darwin Walker, NFL defensive tackle
- Bill Workman, former town manager and economic development consultant; mayor of Greenville, South Carolina, 1983–1995
- Kamiyah Mobley
Infrastructure
Walterboro is accessible from
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Walterboro city, South Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Documentary features Catholic Hill". Walterboro Live. August 13, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ "Catholic Hill". Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society. October 25, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ "St. James the Greater Catholic Church". SC Picture Project. May 2, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Wingard, George (May 6, 2020), We Came A Long Way By Faith: Catholic Hill and St. James the Greater Catholic Church, retrieved July 9, 2021
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 3, 2023. - Text list
- ^ "South Carolina libraries and archives". SCIWAY. Retrieved June 8, 2019.