In 1696, Congregationalist settlers from Dorchester, Massachusetts named their new settlement in the South Carolina Lowcountry after their hometown. The settlement and subsequent town did not survive. However, when a new county emerged in the area from the combination of lands from Colleton and Berkeley counties in 1897, this county was named Dorchester in honor of the original settlement. St. George serves as the county seat.
Dorchester County has played in a significant role in history. The county is home to the nation’s first landscaped gardens, Middleton Place Gardens, which still exist today. Additionally, the county’s town of Summerville served as a summer vacation destination for Southern plantation owners seeking to avoid malaria.
History. Accessed June 02, 2016.
https://www.dorchestercounty.net/index.aspx?page=36
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Immerse yourself in the refreshing tale of sweet tea, a beloved Southern staple that not only quenches thirst but also holds a rich history rooted in South Carolina’s charming town of Summerville...
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Main Street of Summerville, July 1906. Created by early planters as a refuge from the heat and disease of coastal plantations, Summerville was one of a number of early resorts built in the belt of...
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Middleton Place gardens along the Ashley River. This photograph around the 1920s shows the grounds at Middleton Place before they were redesigned and replanted. (See Middleton Place) Courtesy of the...
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The original Middleton Place mansion was destroyed after the Civil War, but the elaborate gardens with their centerpiece "butterfly lakes" designed by John Middleton have survived. (See Middleton...
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Summerville vicinity, December 1938. This home of a Native American family, built with a mud chimney, was documented by the Farm Security Administration photographer Marion Post. Courtesy of the...
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Indian Fields Campground in Dorchester County was more than 100 years old when it was photographed here by Carl Metz in the late 1940s. The central "arbor" (see Camp Welfare) was surrounded by...
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Historic Charleston is comprised of Charleston and Dorchester counties. Historic Charleston has 73 pre-Revolutionary buildings - 136 from the late 18th century and more than 600 others built prior to...
