This aerial view of Georgetown was painted by Harper Bond as part of the display for the Georgetown booth at the Charleston Exposition of 1902 (see The Palace Of Commerce) Established in 1735 at the head of the Winyah Bay, the town was named in honor of the Prince of Wales, who later became George II. The bay's importance as the Atlantic Ocean confluence of the Great Pee Dee, Black, Waccamaw, and Sampit Rivers ensured the wealth and success of the planters who settled there. Originally a harbor for rice, the Winyah Bay area became the center of South Carolina's profitable indigo culture before the Revolutionary War. Georgetown's principal street, Front Street, parallels the Sampit River, and the Atlantic Coast Railroad built extensive lumber yards and docks at the bend of the river in the late 19th century. From the Morgan Photograph Collection.
Courtesy of the Georgetown County Public Library.
