Wilson, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
  Wilson  Wilson | |
| Coordinates:33°39′48″N80°07′06″W / 33.66333°N 80.11833°W /33.66333; -80.11833 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Clarendon |
| Elevation | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 29102 |
| Area codes | 803, 839 |
Wilson, formerly Wilson's Mill, is anunincorporated community inClarendon County,South Carolina United States.[1] The community is located alongU.S. Route 521 betweenManning andGreeleyville, South Carolina. Wilson formerly had its own post office which operated between 1888 and 1982.[2]
The small community of Wilson, sometimes called Ida, is named forThomas Wilson, aScotsman originally fromAirdrie, North Lanarkshire, who built a sawmill called Wilson's Mill in the area during the late nineteenth century.[3][4][5] Wilson and his wife, Eleanor Coyle McCormack had originally immigrated to America fromScotland in 1866.[4] Wilson had worked as a boilermaker with theYork and Erie Railroad inNew Jersey before migrating south, first toNorth Carolina and then South Carolina, settling within the vicinity of modern Wilson.[4] His operation eventually includedemployee housing, acompany store,railroad depot, and a post office.[4]
Soon Wilson's Mill gained control of theSantee River logging scene and an eight mile long railroad into Santee Swamp, connecting with theAtlantic Coast Line Railroad fromSumter toCharleston was built.[4] This railroad became known as theWilson and Summerton Railroad and by 1888 connected with the Charleston, Sumter, and Northern Railroad at Millard, one mile west ofSummerton.[4] It was in this same year that the post office, called Wilsons, was established, the name was changed to Wilson in 1894.[2] By 1891, the supply of trees for timber in the area was exhausted and Wilson closed the mill operation and moved away.[4] In 1899, the Wilson and Summerton Railroad was renamed theNorthwestern Railroad of South Carolina with main lines from St. Paul to Summerton and Sumter.[4] Wilson served as the president of this railroad until his death inNew York City in 1921.[4] The Northwestern Railroad was ultimately abandoned in the aftermath theGreat Depression, in 1935.[4]
After the sawmill closed, the community of Wilson turned to agriculture as its primary economic pursuit, withtobacco being the profitable crop.[4] Today, farming continues to be Wilson's driving force.[4] In 1982, Wilson's post office was officially discontinued.[2]
Municipalities and communities ofClarendon County, South Carolina,United States | ||
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