"In 1888, the South Carolina General Assembly created the “County of Florence”, encompassing the towns of Timmonsville, Coward, and Lake City with the Town of Florence as its county seat."
"Florence is the hub of an eight county region called the “Pee Dee”. It is the center for business, health care, communications, education, retail sales, cultural opportunities, and recreation."
Florence County. Accessed November 13, 2015. View the history.
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Florence City Hall, built in 1900, photographed in 1909. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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The town of Florence, whose Main Street is pictured here in a 1910 postcard view, grew out of the development of the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad. When the owner of the largest store in nearby...
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Cotton in bloom in Florence County, August 30, 1967. Photo by L.W. Riley. Courtesy of the Clemson University Libraries.
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“H” is for Highway 301. Construction of this major U.S. highway in South Carolina began in 1932, when the federal government began taking over the maintenance and construction of many state roads. The...
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Tuberculosis was a serious disease of the 19th century that claimed many lives. Known also as "consumption," it was highly contagious, as well as requiring complete rest for recovery. South Carolina's...
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West Florence High School cafeteria, 1970. Courtesy of the Darlington County Historical Commission.
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West African religious traditions varied widely, ranging from Islam, to various tribal faiths, to some Christianity. The different tribal faiths had a number of common patterns. These included a...
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The "Challenger" astronaut Ron McNair (1951-1986) and Governor Richard Riley during a joint session of the South Carolina legislature in the House Chambers on April 11, 1984. McNair, an Air Force...
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In the midst of these dramatic social changes, an economic transformation was taking place. It was after the days of World War II, after 1945, when Florence really burst into the New South. In the...
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Many returning to Florence after World War II saw clearly, possibly for the first time, a great injustice in their own community...segregation. Brown versus Board of Education" changed race relations...
