In 1696, Congregationalist settlers from Dorchester, Massachusetts named their new settlement in the South Carolina Lowcountry after their hometown. The settlement and subsequent town did not survive. However, when a new county emerged in the area from the combination of lands from Colleton and Berkeley counties in 1897, this county was named Dorchester in honor of the original settlement. St. George serves as the county seat.
Dorchester County has played in a significant role in history. The county is home to the nation’s first landscaped gardens, Middleton Place Gardens, which still exist today. Additionally, the county’s town of Summerville served as a summer vacation destination for Southern plantation owners seeking to avoid malaria.
History. Accessed June 02, 2016.
https://www.dorchestercounty.net/index.aspx?page=36
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Equip at-risk kids with the skills they need to succeed in school, stay in school, and thrive in life. Wings for Kids is dedicated to helping at-risk K-5th grade children succeed in school and life by...
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Around 1790, families of rice planters found the swampy lands where they grew their rice to be a danger in the summertime, due to the spread of malaria, and other deadly diseases. These families of...
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Summerville has a variety of interesting stores. Here at All Books and Company, you’ll meet Macauley, a cat who greets customers, and helps children select books.
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Magnolia Plantation was the home of the Drayton family for over 300 years. The house standing today is the third home built on the site, since the first two homes were destroyed by fire. Today...
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The town of Summerville prides itself on its preservation of historic homes and building, many of which date back to the early to mid-1800’s. On the village green, evidence is seen of a strong Main...
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Main Street of Summerville, July 1906. Created by early planters as a refuge from the heat and disease of coastal plantations, Summerville was one of a number of early resorts built in the belt of...
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Middleton Place gardens along the Ashley River. This photograph around the 1920s shows the grounds at Middleton Place before they were redesigned and replanted. (See Middleton Place) Courtesy of the...
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The original Middleton Place mansion was destroyed after the Civil War, but the elaborate gardens with their centerpiece "butterfly lakes" designed by John Middleton have survived. (See Middleton...
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Summerville vicinity, December 1938. This home of a Native American family, built with a mud chimney, was documented by the Farm Security Administration photographer Marion Post. Courtesy of the...
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"D" is for Dorchester County.
