Situated in the western Midlands of South Carolina, the rural, rolling hills of Edgefield County were first settled in the mid-1700s.
The county was officially established in 1785, when Arthur Simkins came to the area from Virginia and donated the land for the first courthouse. The building was designed by Robert Mills, who is also credited with designing the Washington Monument and the U.S. Treasury Building.
The area has been growing steadily ever since and today many people who come to the county settle in the Merriwether community, at the southern edge of the county. That development serves as a bedroom community to North Augusta and Augusta. But the county's overall size is relatively small.
Despite the county's population of about 24,500, a number of residents have made their mark in state and national politics, particularly when the jurisdiction was much larger geographically and known as the Edgefield District, stretching across parts of present-day Aiken, McCormick and Saluda counties.
Over the past two centuries, the county has been home to 10 South Carolina governors and five lieutenant governors - including South Carolina's first two Civil War governors, Francis Pickens and Milledge Bonham - and produced a number of judges, lawyers and senators, including the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, the oldest and longest-serving senator in American history.
Consisting of three small historic towns - Edgefield, Johnston and Trenton - the county has a strong agricultural base and ranks as the largest peach producer in the state.
The county also has several textile mills and some cotton farms.
Manufacturing provides more than one-third of the jobs in the county, with government positions providing 23 percent of the work force.
The county has its own hospital, with a full-time emergency room and a surgical staff. There is also a medical clinic in the area.
The school district has four elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.
Many organizations call Edgefield County home, including the National Wild Turkey Federation, the second-largest single-species organization in the nation, which has its corporate headquarters between Edgefield and Trenton.
IT'S A FACT
Edgefield County has been home to 10 South Carolina governors and five lieutenant governors.
Edgefield County phone numbers
Board of Education (803) 275-4601
Chamber of Commerce (803) 275-0010
Ambulance Service (803) 637-5337
Auditor (803) 637-4034
Planning Commission (803) 637-4073
Clerk of Court (803) 637-4080
Coroner (803) 637-6536
Convenience Center (803) 637-2424
Sheriff's Office (803) 637-5337
Tax Assessor (803) 637-4079
Tax Collector (803) 637-4068
Veterans Affairs (803) 637-4012
Extension Office (803) 637-3161
Landfill (803) 637-3965
Health Department (803) 637-4035
Historical Society (803) 637-2233
Hospital (803) 637-3174
Public Library (803) 637-4025
Water and Sewer Authority (803) 637-3011
Recreation Director (803) 637-2621
