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History

South Carolina from A to Z

“S” is for Stateberg

By Walter Edgar

Published October 1, 2026 at 5:30 AM EDT

“S” is for Stateberg. The name of this town, located in western Sumter County in the High Hills of Santee, reflects Stateberg's raison d'être. A group of speculators headed by Thomas Sumter founded Stateburg in 1783 in hopes that it would be named the new state capital of South Carolina. But Sumter lacked the popularity and political connections in the assembly to make his capital dream a reality. The tiny town stagnated but the rural community that remained, prospered. Wealthy lowcountry planters and their families often summered in the neighborhood. In the 1820s Robert Mills wrote: “there is not a more desirable place for residents, either for health or society, in any part of the state” than Stateberg. In 1971 the Stateberg Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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Walter Edgar

Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.

See stories by Walter Edgar