"M" is for Marion County

"M" is for Marion County [489 square miles; population 35,466]. In 1800 Liberty County was renamed and reorganized as Marion District--named for Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. Located in northeastern South Carolina, the county is shaped like a knobby sweet potato, with its skinny southern end only fifteen miles from the Atlantic. Horry County lies to the east, Williamsburg and Georgetown Counties to the west. The Great Pee Dee and the Little Pee Dee Rivers flow the length of the county and merge at its southernmost tip. The soil is well suited for agriculture. Food crops, indigo, livestock raising [primarily hogs], timber and turpentine in the 18^th century; cotton in the19th century and bright leaf tobacco in the 20^th century defined the county’s economy. The town of Marion is the seat of Marion County.