"S" is for St. Matthew's Parish. Comprising the southern and eastern portions of modern Calhoun and Orangeburg counties, St. Matthew's Parish was established in 1768. An earlier attempt in 1765 to create a backcountry parish by combining Orangeburg and Amelia townships had been disallowed by King George III. With the creation of the townships in the 1730s, Europeans, especially German immigrants, settled the area. The parish church, a small wooden building, was built in 1765 on Halfway Swamp near present-day Lone Star in Calhoun County. This was the first of four church buildings to serve the parish—each one erected on a different site. The church at Fort Motte was built in 1852. With the abolition of the parish system in 1865, St. Matthew's Parish became a part of Orangeburg County.
"S" is for St. Matthew's Parish
