Kershaw

Today, Kershaw County is known as an important equestrian area.

In 1732, the area now known as Kershaw County was settled by English farmers and traders from Charleston. The county emerged in 1791 out of lands from Richland, Claremont, Lancaster, and Fairfield counties. The county’s namesake, Joseph Kershaw, was an early settler in the area.

Kershaw County played a critical role in wars that shaped this nation. During the Revolutionary War, the British took over Camden, the county seat, for over a year beginning in 1780. A number of Revolutionary War battles also occurred in the county, most notably the battle of Camden and the Battle Hobkirk Hill. An event known as Revolutionary War Field Days takes place annually to honor the county’s role in the United States’ fight for independence.

General Sherman burned Camden during the Civil War. Many of the most notable Kershaw County locals lived during this period in history. Six Confederate generals called this county home. Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut, whose diary-style account of the Civil War, Mary Chesnut’s Civil War, “is generally acknowledged today as the finest literary work of the Confederacy,” was also a Kershaw County local.

Today, Kershaw County is known as an important equestrian area. The Carolina Cup International Steeplechase Races occur in Camden every year. The National Steeplechase Museum, the only museum of its kind in North America, also exists in Kershaw County.  The area also offers recreational opportunities via Lake Wateree and a thriving Antique and Arts District in Camden.

SOURCES: History of Kershaw County. Accessed June 06, 2016.  Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut. Accessed June 06, 2016.  

Title:
Lt General Charles Earl Cornwallis | Battle of Camden
Lt General Charles Earl Cornwallis | Battle of Camden
Episode 3

Photo

Grades: 4 8

Lieutenant General Charles Earl Cornwallis was appointed by General Henry Clinton to lead the Southern Campaign when Clinton returned to New York. On August 16, 1780, General Gates' army, joined by...
General Horatio Gates | Battle of Camden
General Horatio Gates | Battle of Camden
Episode 1

Photo

Grades: 4 8

General Horatio Gates was the leader of the new Continental Army in the South. He was known as the “Hero of Saratoga,” one of the biggest patriot victories, in New York State in 1777. His second-in...
The Angel of Marye’s Heights | The SC State House
The Angel of Marye’s Heights | The SC State House

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This oil, The Angel of Marye’s Heights, depicts the heroism of Sergeant Richard Rowland Kirkland. Born in rural Flat Rock Township in Kershaw County, South Carolina, in August 1843, Kirkland was the...
Otis Norris Photos | Digital Traditions
Otis Norris Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 7

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

Otis Norris, Sandhills Pottery, McBee, Chesterfield County. Interview recorded May 2007. A Kershaw County native, Otis Norris has been turning pots at his current location in Chesterfield County since...
Roots in Brown's Pottery | Digital Traditions
Roots in Brown's Pottery | Digital Traditions
Episode 1

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Otis Norris, Sandhills Pottery, McBee, Chesterfield County. Interview recorded May 2007. A Kershaw County native, Otis Norris has been turning pots at his current location in Chesterfield County since...
Norris on His Applied Snake Figures | Digital Traditions
Norris on His Applied Snake Figures | Digital Traditions
Episode 3

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Otis Norris, Sandhills Pottery, McBee, Chesterfield County. Interview recorded May 2007. A Kershaw County native, Otis Norris has been turning pots at his current location in Chesterfield County since...
Norris on His Early Years | Digital Traditions
Norris on His Early Years | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Otis Norris, Sandhills Pottery, McBee, Chesterfield County. Interview recorded May 2007. A Kershaw County native, Otis Norris has been turning pots at his current location in Chesterfield County since...
Challenges of Wood Firing | Digital Traditions
Challenges of Wood Firing | Digital Traditions
Episode 4

Audio

Grades: Higher Education

Otis Norris, Sandhills Pottery, McBee, Chesterfield County. Interview recorded May 2007. A Kershaw County native, Otis Norris has been turning pots at his current location in Chesterfield County since...
Brown's Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions
Brown's Pottery Photos | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Photo

Grades: Higher Education

A fifth-generation potter, Otto Brown (1899-1980) was a true journeyman potter. The son of Georgia potter James Osborne Brown, Otto turned pots in Alabama, Georgia, and both Carolinas, often with his...
Kershaw County - Boylan-Haven Mather Academy
Kershaw County - Boylan-Haven Mather Academy

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Mather Academy was founded in 1887 by the New England Southern Conference of the Women's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Church. Mather Academy educated black girls, and later boys, in grades...
Olde English District | A Natural State
Olde English District | A Natural State

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8

The Olde English District is comprised of the seven counties of Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Union and York. This county was named for the English settlement that was founded...
Boykin | ETV Shorts
Boykin | ETV Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Step back in time with a trip to the town of Boykin, S.C. This town can be called a modern-day Mayberry of sorts with specialty shops, wonderful restaurants and lots of history.
Reconciliation | ETV Shorts
Reconciliation | ETV Shorts

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Two men, Larry Doby and Bernard Baruch, are honored together in the form of bronze sculptures in downtown Camden, South Carolina. Both were Camden natives who went on to leave an indelible mark on the...
Broom Lady | ETV Shorts
Broom Lady | ETV Shorts

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Broom Place, located in Boykin, South Carolina is an amazing shop where you step back in time right when you walk through the doors. Susan Simpson is known around town as "The Broom Lady."
Joseph H. Williams | Legacy of Leadership Profile
Joseph H. Williams | Legacy of Leadership Profile

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Joe Williams never intended to get involved in the family-owned Williams Brothers pipeline construction business. He had other plans. Fate stepped in, however, and he spent 35 years with the...
I. S. Leevy | Legacy of Leadership Profile
I. S. Leevy | Legacy of Leadership Profile

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

I. S. Leevy (1876–1968) Isaac Samuel Leevy was born into poverty in the Antioch section of Kershaw County on May 3, 1876. But he grew up poor only in material possessions. He had dreams, and he had...