Side A The Murchison School, built in 1902, was named for…read moreJohn D. Murchison (1826-1892), a merchant and the first mayor of Bennettsville. It was given to the city in his memory by his widow, former teacher Harriet Murchison Beckwith (1855-1927). This Romanesque Revival school features a central bell tower with a terra cotta tablet over its ornate arched entrance. It was designed by Denver architect John J. Huddart and built by contractor W.T. Wilkins of Florence.  Side B Murchison School was an elementary and high school from 1902 to 1918, when Bennettsville High School was built next to it, and an elementary school from 1918 until it closed in 1989. The auditorium has hosted many civic events, club meetings, and theater productions. During World War II its balcony was renovated to house a dual library for this school and Bennettsville High after the high school burned. The balcony was later restored to its original appearance.

Located just a quarter mile south of I-95 on South Carolina Highway 38, this marker has a small…read morespace for parking and a view. There is a "historical marker ahead" sign and you shouldn't miss the hulking shape of the machinery it points out. The marker reads, "This cotton press, built in 1798 according to tradition, is thought by many to be the oldest in existence. It was first owned and used by John Bethea, III, and later by Henry Berry. Powered by oxen or mules rotating the beam to tighten the press, it was rendered obsolete by modern machinery. A Berry descendant moved it to this site about 1948 to preserve it." The marker was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It had been built in 1798 for bailing ginned cotton and is made of pegged and doweled oak. Turning the screw (powered by mules) compressed the cotton into a wooden frame to form a bale. A very clever piece of machinery, all built by hand well prior to modern power tools. Except for minor repairs of the base and roof, it is still the original materials and is the only press of this era in South Carolina. [Review 14328 overall, 1652 of 2020, number 706 in South Carolina.]

This cotton press, built in 1798 according to tradition, is thought by many to be the oldest in…read moreexistence. It was first owned and used by John Bethea, III, and later by Henry Berry. Powered by oxen or mules rotating the beam to tighten the press, it was rendered obsolete by modem machinery. A Berry descendant moved it to this site about 1948 to preserve it. Erected by Dillon County Historical Society - 1974

Great stop. We saw the best presentation of early hunting tools and learned a lot about the…read moreindigenous peoples of the area and those that would travel through the area. Daniel was a great tour guide.

My family visited Town Creek last fall. We went during the week and were the only visitors at the…read moresite. The site manager pulled up videos for us to watch and answered our questions as we toured the small museum. The displays were both beautiful and informative. After making purchases in the gift shop area, we walked outside to tour the mound area. Though the mound area is all recreated, it retains a sacred and ancient ambiance. I was moved by the site and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

This was an amazing free WWII with a 9/11 memorial!! There wasn't a lot of parking but there is an…read moreempty lot next to it with a bathroom (was locked). You can even watch planes and helicopters from the airport take off. There was a lot of history and information here! Definitely worth a stop if in the area!

What a beautiful tribute to the men & women who have served our country and a great opportunity to…read morelearn about their service in a beautiful park setting. Everyone's comments have been very accurate. We enjoyed learning and seeing the 'nose art'. The WWII section was very well done with clear photographic images of that time. Do yourself a favor and take some time to honor those who sacrifice for our freedom.

The House In the Horseshoe is a historical gem for North Carolina. The property is on over 2500…read moreacres of land. The house is named after the Deep River that bends like a horseshoe. The house is a mile from the river but the views are stunning. The cotton gin has been turned into a museum. There are a lot of displays you can read to learn more about the property. There is also a short video that is a great introduction to the house. Guided tours of the house occur on the top of the hour. A $2 donation is asked at the visitor's center to help reserve the property. The tour ran about 45 minutes and covered the history of the time, the residents of the house and the architecture. The house is also known as the Alston House. Alston was attacked in his house during the Revolutionary War and there are still bullet holes from the pellet guns. Governor Benjamin Williams also lived in the house. He planted the cotton and had a racetrack. The house is furnished with period pieces of the Colonial and Revolutionary Wars. Four rooms are on the tour. It was worth the drive to see this property and learn of its historical background.

A well preserved colonial house in a rural setting with beautiful vistas over fields of grain. A…read moreskirmish was fought in the house during the Revolutionary War. Many bullet holes were left unfixed. A very interesting story of the skirmish and the actions of the wife of the house is told by the tour guide. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and provided a detailed description of the house and the events that occurred there. The experience was interesting and relaxing.

This community was named for Blenheim Palace in England, home of the Duke of Marlborough, for whom…read moreMarlboro County is said to have been named. Formerly called Mineral Spring or Spring Hill for the mineral springs 1/2 mile east, Blenheim traces its origin to wealthy planters who built summer homes in this healthy locality during the ante-bellum period.

Nice place to take the Grand kiddos for a walk...run down the trails. Throw rocks (pinecones) in…read morethe pond, look for tad poles. Have a pic nic. Great for a few hours of killing boredom with littles.

Not the most exciting trail, but worth doing if you have some down time and want to see some…read moreRockefeller History. The Carver Creek State Park is broken into two different sections: Long Valley Farm Access (with the historic Rockefeller Retreat House) and the Sandhill Access (just flat trails for hikers/horses). They are about 20 minutes apart. Between the two, I'd go to the Long Valley Farm Access since the history component whereas the other is just trails. Overall, there is really not much else here and you can complete it within an hour an a half or so. The loop is 2 miles long, but if you go straight back then it's about 1.5 miles total.

I was really lucky to go in to the historical society today because they are only open one day a…read moreweek and that was today Thursday. I met with a really nice woman who is originally from Chicago that settled here many years ago. She took me all through the little wooden cottage and told me the history of the home. It seems that a slave bought his freedom in the 1700s and built a home for his daughter at 1 time there were stairs and led to the 2nd floor attic which is pretty huge and I really wouldn't consider in an addict it seemed more like a loft to me and had 2 rooms. The stairs had been replaced so that you can walk up there and that's where I saw something that looked like a noose anging from the rafters. And soon as I entered the home I felt chills and Goosebumps all over my body. It was in a scary feeling or a bad feeling it was just a cold feeling or a chill. I got to see an old shoe from the 1700s and never realized that they made shoes not like they do today left and right foot but just general shoes for each foot which was interesting I really loved the little house it had its own charm. I would like to live in that house. The historical societie of damned and was easy to find and I really enjoyed meeting with the woman who was the curator I called her miss Shaw but her last name was not sure it was similar to that but that wasn't her last name. I bought a book that shows all of the historical sites in the town of Camden and I plan on seeing the majority of them tomorrow in the day time in my spare time. I am enjoying this little town so much I really hate when my time here ends and I have to go back home I'm going to miss this town terribly and the kindness and generosity of everyone I have met over the past 2 weeks Here.

Camden is an old historical town with a lot of history! If you enjoy history, Camden is a great…read moreplace to visit for several days. The Kershaw County Historical Society can point you to all the historical sights around the area. It is a very interesting town. I love living in the area of Lake Wateree in Camden, SC.

Very cool urban "archaeological" find...nobody but locals "in the know" seem to be aware it's even…read morethere! Found out about it from the very nice & informative bartender at Dust Off Brewing (check out doing to the YoCo Brew Trail; check into 6 breweries on the app & get a t-shirt). He couldn't quite remember how to get to it, but after some intensive research, found the geo coordinates. That was honestly the only way to find this place, plus a little guts & guesswork. You can quasi see some portion of the rockwork of the ruinous remains from the paved Riverwalk trail. The "easiest" way to get to the ruins is to follow the Riverwalk Piedmont Medical Center Trail to just before mile marker 1.25; you will see this steep wooden thing with awkwardly placed planks. You basically have to rock-wall climb your way up. From there you are on a mountain biking trail. Follow the arrows for just over a quarter mile and you will see some indicators of the ruins before they open up in front of you. You will most likely have the place to yourself. Really cool to wander around and take it all in. Just be careful with holes and don't walk on or within the actual ruins as they are pretty sketch & unsteady. There are spiders, snakes, and flying insects galore, so put on repellent and stay vigilant cuz it is deep woods! You can either get back down the way you came; I found this gray rock slope that I found easier to navigate than sliding down the wood thing I climbed up. Either way, really neat find and I'm so glad I explored to find it! The paved walkway along the Catawba is also a nice walk to and from!