“D” is for Dillon (Dillon County; 2020 population 6,352). In the late 1800s, the Florence Railroad Company planned a new rail line from near Florence to the North Carolina border—which had to pass through the town of Little Rock in Marion County. Residents there refused to grant the railroad a right-of-way. So, James Dillon and his son, Thomas, purchased fifty acres east of the town and offered it to the railroad--on the condition that a depot and a town named Dillon be located there. The railroad accepted—and a town was chartered by the General Assembly in 1888. When Dillon County was created in 1910, Dillon became the county seat. In 1928, U. S. Highway 301was routed through Dillon and the town became a popular stop midway between New York and Florida.
“D” is for Dillon
