A Historical Look at Horry County 

The northeastern corner of South Carolina, known as Horry (pronounced O-REE') County, is a diverse land of rivers, beaches, forests and swamps. Horry County is bordered on its eastern side by the Atlantic Ocean and on its western side by Georgetown County, the Great and Little Pee Dee Rivers and Drowning Creek, also known as the Lumber River, and on the north by North Carolina. The Waccamaw River runs through the eastern half of the county. In the middle to late 1800s, the county was sometimes referred to as "the Independent Republic of Horry", a nickname that had a humorous beginning and referred to politically independent minded people.

Horry County has been inhabited for at least ten thousand years. The area that is today Horry County was once the home of the Waccamaw tribe, a Siouan people.

In 1663, the area we now know as South Carolina and North Carolina was part of land granted to eight powerful Englishmen, known as the Lords Proprietors, by King Charles II of England. The western boundary of the land grant was the "South Seas". In 1729, all but one of the Lords Proprietors sold their interest in the grant to England's King George II who later dispatched surveyors to lay out eleven townships in South Carolina in order to develop the "back country" of the Carolina Province. Kingston Township, located on the Waccamaw River, was one of those original townships. The village located within the township was called Kingston, now known as Conway.

Early surveyors found a wilderness that would draw fur traders, second sons of English nobility, and adventurous settlers seeking land. Many went seeking religious freedom. Those of wealth and consequence bought or were granted large tracts of land.

As these settlers slowly moved into the Horry County area, then known as Craven County, some settled along the coast to fish the Atlantic Ocean and its inlets. As a result, the coastal fishing village of Little River developed and is one of the oldest settlements in the county. The fur trade continued to flourish but the naval stores industry and farming eventually became prevalent. In the 1700s and early 1800s, indigo was a major cash crop for the coastal area. The indigo was harvested from plants introduced to the area and from them a dye was made that was very much in demand in Europe. Several indigo plantations were situated along the Horry County coastline. Cattle and pigs were also important commodities in this area, just as they were throughout early coastal South Carolina.

From the earliest days of Horry County's history up until the latter half of the 19th Century, the naval stores industry was prominent in Horry County. The seemingly inexhaustible supply of pitch, pine tar, turpentine, and a variety of other naval products supplied many Horry County citizens with the majority of their income until the industry tapped out all of the natural resources needed for the production of naval stores and moved southward in the late 1800s.

Horry citizens, like other colonists, could be separated into two main groups as the British American colonies approached 1776. Those known as Whigs wanted to break all ties with England. On the opposite end were the Tories who remained loyal to the throne.

The Horry County area saw small skirmishes during the Revolutionary War. General Francis Marion, known as the "Swamp Fox" for his ability to disappear into the swamps, had relatives in the area and passed through on occasions. Many of "Marion's Brigade" came from the Horry County area, which was then a part of Georgetown District. Col. Peter Horry served under General Marion, and the two combined to eventually rid the area of the British.

A planter of French Huguenot descent, Peter Horry (O-REE') was born in SC ca. 1747. A lieutenant colonel in the Revolution and later brigadier general in the SC Militia, he represented Prince George Winyah and All Saints parishes in the SC House and Senate. In 1801, Kingston County, which had been formed from Georgetown District in 1785, was renamed Horry District for Peter Horry. He died in 1815 and is buried at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbia, SC.

The years between the Revolutionary War and War Between the States were peaceful; new commerce and settlers entered the county. The Tariff of 1828, enacted to protect northern industry by imposing duties on imported goods, enraged southern cotton growers who mostly traded with England. This, along with the famous 1857 Dred Scott decision, a Supreme Court case that ruled against the exclusion of slavery in states, served to further divide the country.

These issues brought three ideologies to the forefront, Secessionists, Unionists, and Cooperationists. The Secessionists strongly believed a state that had joined the Union voluntarily, should, at will, be able to withdraw. The Unionists, on the opposite side of the issue, just as strongly believed that a state may have the legal right to withdraw, but it was not morally correct to do so. In the middle of this heated debate, were the Cooperationists. This group agreed that a state had both the moral and legal right to withdraw, but felt that cooperation was more productive.

In 1860, southern states sent delegates to a convention to discuss the issue of Secession. In December of that year, South Carolina, a staunch state's rights supporter, was first to adopt an Ordinance of Secession. Horry County, while not aggressively Secessionist, joined the "Cause" as soon as South Carolina seceded. On April 12, 1861 cadets from the Citadel, SC's military college in Charleston, fired on Federal forces at Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor as they were attempting to re-supply the fort which SC argued was state property. The War had begun. The thundering sound of the bombardment in Charleston Harbor could be heard in Horry District.

Although no major battles were fought in Horry, the Civil War had a major impact on the county. Somewhere around 90 percent of the county's white male population marched off to war. They saw fighting on nearly all of the major battlefields. Many of these men, young and old alike did not live to return to Horry District again. Most military activity in the area during that time involved the Union naval blockade of our coast.