Marion County has strong ties to Revolutionary War history. The county and county seat’s namesake, Francis Marion, was a Revolutionary War general called the “Swamp Fox.” Additionally, a number of small Revolutionary War battles, including ones led by Marion himself, took place in the county.
The region was initially settled by the English, who traveled to the area via the Great Pee Dee River in the 18th century. In 1785, the area was first named Liberty County and existed within the Georgetown District. However, in 1800 the area separated from the Georgetown District and turned into the Marion District. The county became smaller in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as land previously belonging to Marion County became part of Florence and Dillon counties.
Since the 20th century, Marion County has been known for its cultivation of tobacco. However, in more recent years manufacturing has begun to have a larger presence in the economy.
Major Industrial Employers. Accessed June 09, 2016. marioncountysc.com
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Mullins opens the Anderson Center and hopes for a revitalization in the town. Marion County residents can surf the Net or earn credits toward a degree at the new Technology Center of the Florence...
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Looking at the transition from hand-held farming to the advent of machines. In the past, tobacco was a labor-intensive crop. People handled every leaf throughout the growing, harvesting and curing...
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A look at the struggle to find crops to replace tobacco. Some farmers have substituted cattle, corn, beans and other vegetables for tobacco, but the profits are not what they were with tobacco.
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The sad reality of unemployment in Mullins.
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Looking at the future of farming and profits in Mullins.
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Understanding the challenges of farming in Mullins today. Health Risks of Tobacco Almost a half-million Americans die of smoking-related illnesses every year, making smoking the leading cause of...
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Migrant workers continue to thrive in Mullins. When you go to the grocery store, do you think about who planted, cultivated and picked all the fruits and vegetables on the produce racks? Chances are...
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A look at the economy during tobacco's heyday and how that often translated into segregation in Mullins and other agricultural towns.
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The history of sharecropping and its after-effects in the tobacco industry. After the Civil War, former enslaved Africans had a great desire to own their own farms. Most freedmen were very poor...
