"P" is for Prince Frederick’s Parish

"P" is for Prince Frederick’s Parish. Established in 1734, Prince Frederick’s Parish stretched like an elongated triangle from the Santee River northward “to the utmost bounds of the Province—encompassing all or parts of modern Dillon, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, and Williamsburg Counties. Carved from Prince George Winyah Parish, Prince Frederick’s was given two seats in Assembly. The Black River Church fell within the bounds of the new parish and it became the parish church. Prior to the Civil War, a new, brick church was authorized near Plantersville. A major indigo producer, the parish flourished until foreign competition and the end of British bounties led to economic decline in the late eighteenth century. Prince Frederick’s Parish lost its status as an election district in 1790 and was divided into Liberty (Marion) and Williamsburg Counties.