Sumter County was first settled by Englishmen from Virginia and the South Carolina Lowcountry in the mid-18th century. In 1800, Sumter District was founded from lands previously belonging to Claremont, Salem, and Clarendon counties. However, over the 19th and 20th centuries, the district became smaller when Clarendon County left the district, and some of the district’s land was used to create Lee County.
The Civil War had a substantial impact on Sumter County. Union troops invaded the county, and a small battle was also fought in the area. Additionally, the area is known as the home of educator Mary Mcleod Bethune and opera singer Clara Louise Kellogg.
Historically, Sumter County served as an important agricultural area. However, the economy shifted away from agriculture over time. Today, the economy relies mainly on the service providing and manufacturing industries. The county and its seat are named in honor of Revolutionary War general Thomas Sumter.
Workforce Breakdown of Economic Sectors. Accessed June 10, 2016. http://www.sumteredge.com/index.php/economic_sectors
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Squabs were an important commercial poultry product for Midlands farmers. Here a group of African-American women pick feathers from squabs headed for market in Sumter. Photograph by Bill King, for the...
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These Sumter County farmers are using machinery to bale their hay around 1900. Courtesy of the Sumter County Museum Archives.
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Thomas Sumter (1732-1832) was, at his death, the last surviving general of the Revolutionary Army. Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, he fought in the French and Indian Wars as a Virginia militia man...
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Born in Sumterville (now Sumter), Governor Franklin I. Moses (1838-1906) was educated in local schools and later studied law. As a private secretary to Governor Francis Pickens, he became involved in...
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Richard I. Manning III (1859-1931) served as governor from 1915-1919. Born in 1859 at Homesley Plantation in Sumter County, Manning was educated at local schools and at the Kenmore Preparatory School...
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Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), the daughter of former slaves, was born in Maysville. Believing that the only way to advance in the world was to be able to read, Bethune eventually became a leading...
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Known as "Fighting Dick," Richard Heron Anderson (1821-1879) was the ranking South Carolinian in the Confederate Army, although he had been relieved of his command and was not present when Lee...
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American involvement in the Vietnam War, stretching back to post-World War II support of our French ally in southeast Asia, reached a dramatic peak in 1968. That year, pilots who were trained at...
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The Sandhills of South Carolina marked the edge of the ancient ocean shoreline nearly 55 million years ago in what is now South Carolina. The Sandhills today form a band that separates the Midlands...
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Story of the current Sumter Court House, built in 1906, and the history of the first Sumter Court House, built in 1802 and completed in 1806. The second Sumter Court House, designed by Robert Mills...