“S” is for Saxe-Gotha Township. Originally laid out in 1733 as Congaree Township, Saxe-Gotha Township was located southwest of the confluence of the Broad and Saluda Rivers. Names to honor the marriage of the then Prince of Wales to Augusta, Princess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, the settlement contained “few” if “any” Germans from Saxe- Gotha. German-speaking Swiss in Charleston petitioned for and received land grants in February 1735. In 1747 and 1748 a settler returned to Europe promoting Saxe-Gotha. He succeeded in enticing some six hundred Palatines and Wurttembergers to the township. Other immigration agents brought in another fifteen hundred Germans so that by 1750 the township was populated with a mix of German-speaking small farmers and redemptioners (indentured servants). In 1785 Saxe-Gotha Township’s name was changed to Lexington County to honor the patriots of Massachusetts.
“S” is for Saxe-Gotha Township
