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Laurens, SC

Originally, Laurens was the hunting ground of the Cherokee Indians for many years. Laurens was originally called Laurensville. Many Scot-Irish settled in Laurens before the American Revolution. Battle of Musgrove Mill was fought in Laurens. Andrew Jackson was a tailor in Laurens. Laurens Cotton Mill was established in 1895. Watts Mill was established in 1902. Laurens Glass Company was established in 1910.

History of Laurens

The small town of Laurens, South Carolina was established by an act of the General Assembly on March 15, 1985 as a location for commercial activities. It was one of the six counties created for the original Ninety-Six Districts of South Carolina . Laurens was originally named Laurensville. On December 15, 1845, a charter was issued with the name of Laurensville. The first appearance of the town named Laurens was in an 1873 charter. The town of Laurens was chartered in 1900 and in 1916. The town was named in the honor of Henry Laurens, the South Carolina statesman .

The first inhabitants of Laurens were the Cherokee Indians. They used the land as their hunting and fighting ground. There has been evidence of broken potsherds, weapons, and a mound found linked to Cherokee culture on land now called Laurens. There were many treaties made with the Cherokee Indians over the land known as Laurens County dating back to 1721 . Before the America Revolution thousands of immigrants, mainly from Scotland and Ireland, settled in Laurens County. Later Laurens developed into a major intersection of commerce in the colonial America. In the Battle of Musgrove Mill, Laurens witnessed intense fighting .

In 1790, after the Revolutionary War, Laurens was elected as the county seat. Like other southern towns, cotton was the major crop being produced. The high amount of cotton production led to an economic boom and a substantial increase in the African American population. The economic boom attracted wealthy entrepreneurs and businessmen to Laurens. Andrew Jackson, 17th President of the United States, worked as a tailor downtown Laurens from 1824 until 1826 .

Before the beginning of the Civil War, Laurens provided a great deal of political leaders to the state government. The state’s decision to secede from the Union was influenced by many of those political leaders. But Laurens was affected by the influx of refugees that fled Charleston to avoid the progressing Union Army and Navy. Several of the refugees settled in Laurens after the Civil War .

The years after the Civil War, Reconstruction, the economy of Laurens revolved to include industry. The recovery of Laurens' economy was depended upon the creation of the textiles and manufacturing industry after the civil war. In 1985, Lauren Cotton Mill was founded, and Watts Mill was started in 1902. Laurens Glass Company was established 1910, which was one of the largest glass plants in the southeast for over eighty years. The Laurens Railroad Company was chartered in 1847. The Columbia-Newberry-Laurens Railroad and the Charleston-Western Carolina Railroad are the two major intersections provided by the railroad .

Historic Places

The Courthouse Square consists of four acres that was purchased in 1792 for two guineas, which is around $21,000 (Bolick, 1982). The courthouse is placed in the center of the square. The current courthouse is the third courthouse. The first courthouse was constructed of wood. It was used as a church, school, and courthouse. The second courthouse was made of brick. Dr. John Wells Simpson built the third courthouse in 1838 . The courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places .

Laurens’ church district has two historic churches, which are located on Caroline Street. Bethel AME Church is one of the historic churches in the district. Columbus White, a former slave and builder, designed the church in 1910. But the first church structure was built in 1868. In 1877, Saint Paul First Baptist, which neighbors Bethel AME Church, was established. Columbus White also built Saint Paul First Baptist in 1912. The church is styled in Gothic Revival. The church also served as the county’s first African American public school until 1937 .

The Church of the Epiphany is Lauren’s oldest church building still operating. The church was constructed in 1846 . The First United Methodist Church represents Romanesque Revival architecture. The church was built in 1897 . In 1834, the First Baptist Church was originally built. The name of the original church was Laurensville Baptist Church. In 1850, the first sanctuary was built. In 1893, the second church was constructed. The present sanctuary was built in 1958 . The First Presbyterian Church was organized on April 1, 1832, but the present church structure was built in 1891. The first preacher of the church was Samuel B. Lewers. He served the church for eighteen years. The church is built in the style of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture .

The West Main Street District is where most of the historical houses are located. The Watts-Todd-Dunklin House was built in 1812. Washington Williams built the house as a wedding gift for his daughter, Nancy. His daughter married James Watts . In 1843, Nancy sold the property to Samuel Todd. The Todd family for around a century has owned the house. The house is registered on the National Register of Historic Places .

In 1859, Colonel John Drayton built the Williams-Ball-Copeland House. The house has an Italian Villa architectural design. Over the past two centuries, several families have owned the house. The South Carolina Baptist Ministries for the Aging bought the house in 1970 .

The Governor Simpson House was originally built by one of the first families of Laurens, Christopher Garlington, in 1839. The style of the house is Greek Revival. The house was constructed out of lumber from Joanna . Major Adam Eichelberger bought the home from the Garlington family. Several years later, Major Adam Eichelberger sold the house to W.D. Simpson, the former South Carolina Governor. The Motes family is the current owner of the house .

Another historic house registered on the National Register of Historic Places is the Charles Duckett House, which is located right off of West Main Street. The house was built in 1892. The owner of the house, Charles Duckett, was a freedman who owned a retail lumber business and was a member of the Bethel AME Church .

The John Calvin Owings House is one of the landmarks in Laurens. In 1896, George F. Barber designed the house, which is characterized by its gingerbread details and turrets. The Edna Poole House is also located on West Main Street, and it is designed in the Art Deco style. Home Magazine and World’s Fair in Chicago featured the Edna Poole House .

The Octagon House is one of the two octagonal buildings in South Carolina. Between 1850 and 1859, Reverend Zelotes Lee Holmes built the house. The design and architecture are accredited to the brother of the builder who was an engineer . Reverend Zelotes Lee Holmes was a Presbyterian minister and educator in Laurens. The Octagon House, A Home for All by Orson Fowler was published in 1853 was based upon the construction of the house . The house was sold to the Holmes family after the death of Reverend Holmes in 1885 .