“S” is for Summerville (Dorchester County; 2020 population 50,915). Summerville was established as a summer refuge for plantation owners of St. George's Dorchester and St. Paul's parishes. Prior to 1831 Summerville had few year-round residents but the population swelled in the summers as lowcountry planters sought the breezes and pine forests that were deemed healthier than their swampland rice plantations. Summerville was incorporated in 1847, and one of its first ordinances restricted the cutting of trees in the town limits. From its beginnings it was a resort, and much of its history has been tied to tourism and temporary residence. After the railroad was built in 1831, some antebellum residents of Summerville commuted to work in Charleston. This early commuter traffic was a precursor to the bedroom community character of Summerville in the twenty-first century.
“S” is for Summerville
