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Calhoun County was carved out of the old Orangeburg District in 1908. Many of the first settlers in this part of the state came from Germany and Switzerland. Calhoun is mostly a rural county with a population of about 12,000. Farming here is still a viable and dominant way of life. Proceed southward on 176. Continue on 176, past US Highway 21 that forks to the right and goes to Orangeburg. This fork roughly defines the center of the Sandy Run Community. The terrain starts to become notably hillier and more reminiscent of the Piedmont than the flat Coastal Plain. At mile 7.0, on the left, is the Sandy Run Lutheran Church, founded ca. 1765 and one of the oldest Lutheran Churches in the state. The current church was constructed in 1919. At mile 13.5, turn left at County Road 24, the Old Belleville Road. This road is named for Revolutionary War hero Col. William Thomson’s Belleville Plantation, formerly located near Fort Motte. This pastoral road winds through scenic country side and parallels the Congaree River one to three miles to the east. At mile 20.5, turn left by the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church onto County Road 25, Purple Martin Road. This short road comes to a “T” at mile 22, where you will turn left onto Fort Motte Road. At mile 25 look for a dirt drive on the left, Turkey Track Lane. This dirt road leads to the Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve, a 200-acre DNR property that overlooks the Congaree River and offers spectacular views of the Congaree National Park (see above). One mile south of Turkey Track Lane, centered on the Norfolk-Southern Railway crossing, is the tiny community of Fort Motte, named after a Revolutionary War battle fought near here on May 12, 1781. As with many rural South Carolina communities, Fort Motte thrived in the heyday when cotton was king. A century ago on a Saturday afternoon the streets would have been lined with mule wagons and farmers swapping stories and stocking up on provisions. A short drive around the old town reveals a few quiet residences and crumbling brick store fronts. The remains of the old jail, built in 1906, resemble something out of the Wild West. Continue southward on the Fort Motte Road. Two miles from the railroad tracks, the St. Matthews Parish Episcopal Church appears on a rise on the left surrounded by farmland. The present structure dates from about 1850 but the church was first organized in the 1760s. One-half mile south of this church you will come to the intersection with US Highway 601 called Wiles Crossroads. Turn left onto Highway 601 for 1.6 miles then turn right onto SC 267 (McCord’s Ferry Road). This part of Calhoun County is well known for its large farms planted in cotton, corn and soybeans. As you head further south on SC 267, the roadsides become more wooded. After a few miles, near the junction with SC 33, is the community of Lone Star and a side road that takes you to Low Falls Landing on the west bank of the Santee River and the upper reaches of Lake Marion. South of Lone Star, SC 267 crosses Halfway Swamp and the southern terminus of the COWASEE Basin Focus Area boundary. The drive on 267 continues through more scenic countryside that includes the towns of Elloree and Santee. The 2,500-acre Santee State Park on the west side of Lake Marion near Elloree has public landing access to Lake Marion with campsites and cabin rentals. The Santee National Wildlife Refuge is also located nearby a few miles east of Santee. For those with a big appetite, the Lone Star BBQ, located just north of Santee off SC Highway 6, is highly recommended. 4. Lower Richland Tour The back roads and by-ways of rural Lower Richland County offer a pleasant change of pace to the sprawl and traffic in the remainder of the county. This was at one time a major cotton producing area of South Carolina and it still retains much of its agricultural heritage. Lower Richland is also the home of South Carolina’s only national park, the Congaree National Park, which is a tour in itself. This tour starts at the junction of I-77 and Bluff Road (SC 48) on the southeast side of Columbia. Proceed south on Bluff Road for 7.5 miles and turn left (north) on County Road 37, Lower Richland Blvd. Proceed 2 miles, and on the right is a sign pointing to the Harriet Barber House. Turn to the right on a dirt drive and the house will appear on the right. The Harriet Barber House is on land made available by purchase to freed slaves by the South Carolina Land Commission, an agency established after the Civil War to give freedmen the opportunity to own land. The land and home have been in the same family since 1872 and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Returning to Lower Richland Boulevard, turn right (north) and at 0.7 miles you will come to a railroad track. Proceed across the track and you will be in the small village of Hopkins, named after one of the founding families of Lower Richland that came south in the 1700s from Virginia. Continue for 0.2 miles past the railroad and then take the right fork onto Horrell Hill Road. On the right is the Hopkins Presbyterian Church and directly across the street is the old Hopkins Graded School (now a private residence), both on the National Register as excellent examples of a late nineteenth century intact small rural church and school. Proceed east on County Road 66 (Cabin Creek Road) for 4.2 miles and turn left (north) on County Road 85, Elm Savannah Road. On the left will appear the quaint St. John’s Episcopal Church Congaree. This church was established in 1859 by some of the prominent families that settled Lower Richland County, and many are buried in the cemetery. After driving south on SC 769 (Congaree Road) for 2.2 miles past Elm Savannah Road, there will appear on your right an authentic southern BBQ restaurant, Big-T’s. This is worth a stop if it’s anywhere near lunch or supper. SC 769 intersects with SC 48 (Bluff Road) at the community of Gadsden, named after James Gadsden (1788-1858), President of the South Carolina Railroad Company from 1840-1850 and Minister to Mexico who negotiated the Gadsden Purchase in 1853 that acquired parts of southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. If Big T’s is not open, J.D.’s Diner at Gadsden may be. The menu includes sandwiches and regular “blue plate” specials. From Gadsden proceed southward on Bluff Road for 2.3 miles, then make a slight left onto Fork Church Road, County Road 1314. The Richland Presbyterian Church will appear at 1.5 miles on your left. Constructed in 1883, this quaint little country church is an excellent example of a “rare, virtually unaltered nineteenth century” small rural Southern church. It was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Continue eastward on Fork Church Road. At the intersection with Poultry Lane, County Road 56, turn left (north) and proceed for 1.8 miles, then turn right onto Chalk Street, County Road 123, which ends shortly at the town of Eastover. Like so many other small communities throughout South Carolina, Eastover flourished during the heyday of cotton and railroads. The old two-story brick building on Main Street, representing a former bank and merchantile store, is on the National Register of Historic Places as the J.A. Byrd Mercantile Store, and the Farmer and Merchants Bank Building, ca. 1910. The former is a significant architectural example of a commercial building and general store from the early twentieth century while the latter is also an excellent example of early twentieth century commercial architecture. After the demise of cotton, the Farmer and Merchants Bank served as the town’s post office and library. Continue eastward on SC 764 until it intersects with US Highway 601. Directly ahead is a magnolia-lined drive leading to Kensington Mansion, one of the most distinctive antebellum plantation homes in South Carolina. Kensington was constructed between 1851-1853 by Colonel Matthew Richard Singleton, a member of one of the wealthiest planter families in the state. Kensington is an outstanding example of the Italianate Revival architecture and features a domed, metal roof. The interior has beautiful examples of intricate molding and trim work. It was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Kensington was carefully restored by Union Camp, later International Paper Company, from 1983-84. The Scarborough-Hamer Foundation has furnished the mansion with a large collection of Victorian furniture, ceramics and other antiques. Guided tours are available to the public on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9:30, 11:00, 1:00 and 2:30. Kensington is also extensively decorated for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. For more information, call 803-353-0456. Driving north on US 601 will take you back to US 378 and Columbia to the west or Sumter to the east. On Meeting House Road, soon after leaving SC 261 and before you reach the General Sumter Memorial Park, you will pass a distinctive white church with green trim on your right, the High Hills Baptist Church. Founded in 1772, the present structure was built in 1803 on land granted by General Thomas Sumter. The Reverend Richard Furman guided this church during the tumultuous years of the Revolution and later became the founder of Furman University. As you proceed southward again on Highway 261, the land begins to rise quickly and signals that you are approaching the old community and National Historic District of Stateburg in the heart of the High Hills of the Santee. Legend has it that Stateburg lost out to Columbia by one vote of becoming the new capital of South Carolina, but this is more fiction than fact. The lovely Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross is Stateburg’s most visible structure. Of Victorian Gothic design, it was built between 1850-1852 and features a unique construction, pise de terre, or rammed earth. This technique involves compacting successive layers of soil between forms to make a wall. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973, the Church of the Holy Cross has such notable South Carolinians buried in its cemetery as Joel Roberts Poinsett, statesman, diplomat, and naturalist, and George Mabry, a Medal of Honor winner in World War II. Just before coming to the stoplight at the intersection of Highway 261 and US 378, a historical marker appears on the left side of the road. This sign celebrates Highway 261, a road with a long history in this area that was at one time called the Catawba Path. Later it connected Charleston to Camden and was called the “Great Charleston Road.” This is probably the same road traveled by John Lawson when he came through the area in 1701. As with many old roads in the state, it has also been called the Kings Highway. Further north, an eastern branch of this road extended into Pennsylvania called the “Great Wagon Road” that was heavily used by the Scotch-Irish who emigrated to the Carolina backcountry after the Revolutionary War. 2. Wedgefield to Rimini Highway 261 continues southward across the stoplight intersection with U.S. Highway 378 at Stateburg. The red clay cut banks and hilly terrain (the elevation here is 378 feet above sea level) are a reminder that you are still within the High Hills of the Santee. The small community of Wedgefield on the CSX Rail Line is the last chance for gasoline and a soda and a pack of nabs for the next few miles. Batten’s Grocery and Café is a well-known stop for sportsmen and locals. At 3.8 miles south of Wedgefield, Highway 261 curves to the left while a paved road that quickly turns to dirt forks to the right; take this right fork and then immediately turn right on the dirt road, Arthur Gayle Road, to the Singleton Cemetery. Follow Arthur Gayle Road, which passes through fields, woodlands and rural homes, for 2.4 miles. There will be a dirt drive on the right leading to the cemetery which is gated off and you will have to walk the last 300 yards to it. This isolated and serene cemetery, tucked away in the woods of Manchester State Forest, is the resting place of the Singleton family who immigrated to Sumter County from Virginia in the 1750s and became one of the most prominent and wealthiest families in the region. Buried here are the family patriarch, Col. Matthew Singleton, as well as George McDuffie, Governor, U.S. Senator, and University of South Carolina trustee president. The Singleton family owned thousands of acres of plantations, including the beautiful Kensington Mansion on the west side of the Wateree Valley in Richland County almost directly across from the cemetery. Returning the way you came to Highway 261, turn right (south) and at 1.3 miles, a gravel entrance road on the right takes you to the Manchester State Forest Headquarters (open 8:30-4, M-F). Back on 261, another 1.1 miles past the entrance road to Manchester there will be a paved road on the right, County Road 63, Poinsett Park Road, leading to Poinsett State Park (see above). Continuing southward on 261, all of the land on the left is part of the U.S. Air Force’s Poinsett Electronic Bomb Range where F-16s practice low-level bomb and strafing runs. This stretch of highway, in the heart of the Manchester State Forest, is an isolated remnant of ancient sand dunes similar to the fall line sand hills that run through Columbia and Camden 25 miles to the north. The droughty, infertile, sandy soil is best for growing longleaf pine and “scrub oak,” and this area was part of a government reclamation and resettlement project in the 1930s. Proceeding on 261, and 2.5 miles south of the entrance to Poinsett State Park, take the right fork (County Road 51, Camp Mac Boykin Road). At mile 1.6, St. Marks Episcopal Church appears on the left. The beauty of this church, constructed in 1855, is all the more enhanced because of its isolation and peaceful setting in the middle of Manchester State Forest. Six governors worshipped here or at previous church locations, and it was the parish church for two prominent families of the area, the Richardsons and Mannings. At 1.4 miles beyond St. Marks Church you will come to Fulton Crossroads intersection and Fulton Cemetery on the left. A roadside historical marker commemorates Col. David DuBose Gaillard, who was born near here and went on to become one of the primary engineers of the Panama Canal. The paved road to the right at this intersection, County Road 808, goes to Mill Creek County Park a short distance away. At 1.3 miles south of Fulton Crossroads a dirt road to the right takes you to Sparkleberry Landing, the main jumping off point to the beautiful Sparkleberry Swamp. The little crossroads of Rimini (pronounced with a long “i” on the end) is nearly 3 miles beyond the turn to Sparkleberry. Just before the Rimini railroad tracks, a paved road on the right takes you to Pack’s Landing on the eastern shore of Upper Lake Marion. Pack’s is a full-service landing that provides food, ice, bait and tackle. Just to the south of Rimini, one of the more interesting actions of the Revolutionary War, called the Battle of Halfway Swamp, took place when the British Major McLeroth, who had been harried and pushed by the “Swamp Fox,” Francis Marion, called for a duel between 20 of his best men and 20 of Marion’s. Marion selected his men and the duel was about to take place when McLeroth changed his mind and fled up the River Road. Proceeding southward from Rimini, take the right fork, the Old River Road, County Road 76, and you cross into Clarendon County. At one mile south of Rimini, a beautiful mill pond appears on your left. Full of lime-green duckweed and old cypress trees festooned with Spanish moss, Elliott’s Mill Pond is a delight for nature photographers and artists (this is private property but the views from the road are public). Just beyond the Mill Pond, a dirt road on the right takes you to Elliott’s Landing on the eastern shore of Lake Marion. The southern boundary of the COWASEE Basin ends here but the Old River Road continues through more scenic countryside with interesting stops such as the Richardson Cemetery, located on the right, 2.3 miles south of Rimini. The historical marker notes that the family patriarch and Revolutionary war hero General Richard Richardson is buried here along with two Governors, James B. Richardson and John P. Richardson, who was also the founder of the Citadel. Carolina King Resort Landing (formerly Billups Landing), Jacks Creek Landing and the Santee National Wildlife Refuge are all to the south on the shores of Lake Marion. The Refuge includes a visitors center, hiking and birding trails, and the historic Fort Watson Revolutionary War battle site which sits atop an old Indian mound. On the way to Santee National Wildlife Refuge is the Liberty Hill AME Church, home church for the Briggs and Delaine families who were part of the famous landmark school desegregation case in 1954, Brown vs. the Board of Education. The nearby village of Summerton, an old summer resort town for the planters of the area, features some beautiful old homes as well as the Summerton Diner (open every day except Thursday) one of the best local eateries anywhere. 3. Western Basin Tour, Calhoun County This tour starts southward on US 176 from the intersection of I-20 and US 176 (exit 119). Lands near this exit belong to Carolina Eastman, the largest maker of plastics for the soft drink/bottled water industry in the United States. Recently Starbucks established a coffee roasting plant, one of only five in the world, at the Calhoun County Industrial Park. 20 20 20 26 26 77 77 20 20 26 126 77 20 20 26 26 26 77 26 26 619 551 102 102 47 47 47 47 367 756 700 18 18 12 114 562 31 53 101 101 775 21 349 349 349 48 530 407 36 38 12 627 906 486 91 93 92 12 12 21 349 562 101 120 23 12 18 48 269 176 755 488 53 336 407 92 487 355 369 532 261 757 368 102 628 756 405 551 133 618 700 43 20 20 804 538 805 263 263 266 878 626 76 76 1049 43 43 43 282 282 90 47 568 385 752 94 334 441 441 386 627 367 757 91 753 93 12 348 330 306 6 330 22 46 119 6 16 22 22 311 122 136 387 364 150 25 25 25 132 536 596 32 24 24 42 124 46 205 206 318 85 151 419 80 151 132 132 156 329 177 267 988 41 41 31 31 366 414 415 421 367 212 225 35 36 36 257 258 24 23 369 36 24 808 52 51 51 283 353 353 353 262 327 1254 11 43 21 135 184 223 339 88 88 89 6 253 173 173 187 226 33 182 6 153 29 153 29 239 172 119 120 180 180 179 172 259 179 256 256 29 39 16 102 419 43 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ond B ru n s o n S w a m p Br a c ey M i l l C r e e k B r a n A r d i s P o n d p ri n g s C o n g ar e e Cr ee k B i N i ch o la s C r e e k C o n g a r e e R i v e r C r e e k L a k e Li m es t o n L it t le L i m e s t o n e C r e e k L a k e M il l C r e e k L a k e Po n d T o m s Cr e e k M u r r a y P o n d S p e a r s C r e e k Sl a s h L a ke C re ek Cre ek P i n e L a k e M c C r a y Lo r i n g Br a M c o n d ys t al H o l li n D ur h a m S a l u d a R i v e r C ong a ree C r e e k E l ki n s C r e e k H a r m o n C ree k r a n c h San dy Run G i l l s L a k e C a r y s L a ke N o r t h B r a n c h C a w C a w S w a m p Cr e e k A d a m s S i ke s C e d a r T w e n t y F iv e D r y B r a n c h H e a d L i t tl e S p e a r s C r e e k Cr e e k S a n d y C r e e k B e e c h C r e e k B i g W h ite O a k R o b ert B r a n c h B o y k in M i l l p o n d R a f t i n g C r e e k Wateree Correctional Institution SC Public Service Authority Santee Cooper Hydroelectric Project Shaw Air Force Base Manchester State Forest Manchester State Forest Manchester State Forest Manchester State Forest Manchester State Forest Manchester State Forest US Air Force Gunnery Range Harbison State Forest Sesquicentennial State Park Broad River Correctional Institution Complex State Park Complex SCDDSN Midlands Ctr Midlands Tech NE Campus Fort Jackson Army Training Center Congaree National Park Congaree National Park Oak Lea WMA Hickory Top WMA Peachtree Rock Heritage Preserve SCDNR Styx Compound and Cohen Campbell State Fish Hatchery Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve Hickory Top Greentree Reservoir Biedler Impoundment Rembert Borden Horatio Hillcrest Dalzell Swinto Sumter Cane Savannah Stateburg Claremont Wedgefield Pinewood Boykin Elgin Lugoff West Columbia Blythewood Killian Pontiac Dentsville Arcadia Lakes Horrell Hill Lykes Congaree Eastover Wateree Columbia Sandy Run St Matthews Riley Irmo Lexington Springdale Cayce Pine Ridge South Congaree Bank Edmond ion Dixiana Map produced by the SCDNR Technology Development Group GIS Applications Rimini US Air Force Gunnery Range No Trespassing Boykin Gadsden Lone Star Fort Motte Packs Landing High Hill Church Elliott’s Landing St. Mark’s Church St. John’s Church Low Falls Landing Singleton Cemetery Kensington Mansion Richardson Cemetery Poinsett State Park Sparkleberry Landing Harriet Barber House Hopkins Grade School LeNoir’s Country Store Mill Creek County Park Church of the Holy Cross Sandy Run Lutheran Church Farmers & Merchants Bank Hopkins Presbyterian Church Richland Presbyterian Church Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve Manchester State Forest Headquarters J.A. Byrd Merchantile Store Skirmish at Dinkins Mill General Thomas Sumter Memorial Park St. Matthews Parish Episcopal Church Legend Driving Tour Site Interstate Highway Major Road Local Road Railroad Boykin to Stateburg Lower Richland Wedgefield to Rimini Western Basin, Calhoun County Municipality Cowassee Basin Focus Area Federal Land State Land Upper Santee Swamp Water Body 0 2.5 5 7.5 10 1.25 Miles Driving Tours 1. Boykin – Horatio - Stateburg This scenic stretch of pastoral countryside harkens back to an earlier era when South Carolina was primarily an agriculture state. Working farms and forests are still evident and much history occurred here. From I-20 take U.S. 521 south for 2.8 miles, then take the right fork, S.C. 261. After a few miles you will enter the community of Boykin where one of the last skirmishes of the Civil War, Boykin’s Mill, took place during Potters Raid on April 18, 1865. The Boykin Company Grille (803-425-6724) offers gifts and good food and is open for lunch from Tuesday-Saturday, 11:30-2, and supper, 5:30-9, from Thursday-Saturday (and bluegrass on Friday and Saturday night). The Mill Pond Steak House specializes in fine certified angus beef and is open from 5-10p, Tuesday-Saturday; call 803-425-8825. Boykin also features the Broom Place where brooms are made by hand on 100 year-old original equipment; hours are 10:30-5, Tuesday-Friday and 10:30-2 on Saturday; call 803-425-0933. Proceeding southward on Highway 261, one passes through more rural countryside. Shortly after passing the Kershaw-Sumter County line, the entrance to the Wateree Prison Farm appears on the right. This medium-security prison consists of more than 7,000 acres including eight miles on the Wateree River, and is a self-sustaining operation that provides milk, grits and corn meal for the state’s nearly 24,000 inmates. At 3.8 miles south of the Wateree Prison, 261 makes a sharp curve to the right while crossing Rafting Creek. Here the Civil War skirmish at Dinkins Mill occurred on April 19, 1865, ten days after Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House. Nearly two miles south of this curve, a historical marker on the right highlights Oakland Plantation, known locally as “Dixie Hall.” This private plantation, dating back to a royal grant from 1735, served as a headquarters for both Confederate and Union Forces in 1865. About a mile past Oakland Plantation, turn right onto the Horatio-Hagood Road, County Road 37, which takes you to the cross roads of Horatio and the Lenoir Country Store and Post Office. The country store, on the National Register of Historic Places, has been in operation by the same family for nearly 200 years. As expected in an old-timey country store, Lenoir’s has a variety of offerings ranging from dry goods to penny candy. Return on the same road to Highway on 261; turn south on 261, drive for a little more than a mile and turn left on Meeting House Road (County Road 488). Proceed 1.6 miles and follow the signs to the General Thomas Sumter Memorial Park. Sumter, the “Gamecock,” was one of three partisan generals in South Carolina during the Revolution and the last surviving general officer of the Revolutionary War. Sumter’s only son, Thomas Sumter Jr., is also buried here, but the most imposing monument in the park is the brick chapel housing the remains of Thomas Sumter Jr.’s wife, Nathalie de Lage Sumter, a devout Catholic and native of France. Kensington Mansion in Lower Richland is one of the most beautiful and distinctive antebellum homes in the South. A pastoral setting within the COWASEE Basin Focus Area. Church of the Holy Cross, Stateburg.
