KERSHAW COUNTY
County Offices
515 Walnut Street
Camden 803-425-1500
www.kershaw.sc.gov
Chamber of Commerce
80 Campus Drive
Camden 803-432-2525
www.kershawcountychamber.org
Major Highways
Interstates 20 and 77; US 1, 15, 521, 601
Newcomers can travel back to a simpler lifestyle in Kershaw County, where the spirit and charm of the South remained undimmed through time. Historic sites, period homes, and monuments to the past dot this panoramic region northeast of Columbia.
Services
Education is seen as a lifelong process in Kershaw County, where private schools like Camden Military Academy and Thomas Sumter Academy offer educational alternatives to a quality public school district. Vocational and career training are available close to home at the Kershaw County Applied Technology Education Center, although a number of institutions of higher education are located within a reasonable commute. The capital city of Columbia offers Midlands Technical College, Columbia International University, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Allen University, Benedict College, Columbia College, and the University of South Carolina.
Other regional institutions are Central Carolina Technical College and campuses for the University of South Carolina in Sumter and Lancaster. While the two-year public college of Central Carolina Technical College primarily serves residents of Sumter, Lee, Clarendon, and Kershaw counties; the institution’s Natural Resources Management and Environmental Engineering Technology as well as the South Carolina Environmental Training Center are statewide programs. The Kershaw County campus is located in Camden in the county government center, bringing opportunities for higher education to residents of Camden, Lugoff, Elgin, Bethune, Cassatt, and the surrounding countryside.
State-of-the-art healthcare services are anchored by the Kershaw County Medical Center, a 121-bed acute-care facility that is complemented by a network of support centers. The health system also includes a long-term care center, a home health and hospice agency, primary healthcare offices, the Health Resource Center in Camden, the Healthcare Place in Elgin and Bethune, and the West Wateree Medical Complex in Lugoff. The medical center also operates a county-wide emergency medical services system. Should the need for advanced or more highly specialized care arise, nearby Columbia is home to several respected hospitals, an army hospital, and the Veterans Administration Hospital.
Lifestyle
Kershaw County and the leading municipality of Camden are most well-known for the exciting world of steeplechase horse racing. This sport culminates twice annually in two nationally celebrated events, the Carolina Cup event each spring and the Colonial Cup races held in the fall. Other equestrian activities from horse shows to polo events attract residents and spectators around the four seasons. Kershaw County is an outdoorsman’s paradise, crowned by sparkling Lake Wateree. This 13,000-acre water playground is equally well known for its boating and sailing opportunities and the outstanding crappie and bass fish that avid fishermen pull from the lake. The region features abundant woods, where preserves provide hunters with a wide variety of game and the chance to perfect their skills at sporting clays. Golfers can choose from approximately 20 courses within an hour’s drive from home. The combination of the Camden-Kershaw County Recreation Department and N.R. Goodale State Park ensures opportunities for swimming, boat rentals, tennis, softball, volleyball, or enjoying a scenic walking trail.
Reverence for yesterday is evident in Camden, distinguished as South Carolina’s oldest inland city and home to the National Steeplechase Museum. Residents and visitors are able to tour the reconstructed mansion where British Lord Cornwallis schemed to defeat Americans during the Revolutionary War. This mansion at the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Site features period buildings and reconstructed stockades that relate the story of the war’s anguish for the Americans and the British. Monuments dot the surrounding countryside, including the site of the last Civil War-era conflict in South Carolina. Historic Boykin invites visitors to see a factory for hand-made brooms, a vintage general store, a grain mill, and other attractions that reflect a simpler time. A carriage ride or stroll down the picturesque Camden Historic District showcases well-preserved cottages and spacious mansions.
Cultural attractions abound, anchored by the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County in Camden, a five-acre complex showcasing the visual arts, musical concerts, theatre productions, and family programming. Fine restaurants, wonderful bed-and-breakfast inns, art stores, and antique shops are all part of the attraction to Kershaw County. The Chicken Strut Festival in Bethune, the Elgin Catfish Stomp, and the River Rat Regatta tube race down the Wateree River are just a few of the annual events that attract visitors and bring friends and neighbors together. Exceptionally well-developed and managed recreational amenities include tennis courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, volleyball courts, walking paths, and an observatory for students of astronomy. Without a doubt, Kershaw County is a unique place where history, horses, recreation, festivals, shopping, and dining combine in delightful ways for an exceptional quality of life.
Boykin
County Offices
803-425-1500
www.kershaw.sc.gov
Chamber of Commerce
803-432-2525
www.kershawcountychamber.org
The quaint village of Boykin is small in population and size but significant in its historic charm. Residents and visitors can still see meal and grits ground by water power at Boykin Mill, or the creation of hand-crafted brooms in a 1740 restored slave house known as the Broom Place. Located just nine miles from Camden, the historic Boykin Mill community is also the Civil War site of the Battle of Boykin’s Mill. Unique items are available at the Boykin Company Store and Grille, a combination retail and gift shop and restaurant. Residents of this friendly, small community have quick and easy access to the expanded amenities and services in nearby Camden. Recreational resources are outstanding in this area, offering virtually unlimited opportunities for outdoor enjoyment.
Bethune
County Offices
803-425-1500
www.kershaw.sc.gov
Chamber of Commerce
803-432-2525
www.kershawcountychamber.org
Another small community in Kershaw County, Bethune offers the friendliness and intimate spirit of a town where neighbors greet each other by name. Attractions in and near Bethune include a popular sporting clay that preserves the 1900s tradition of quail hunts on foot or from a wagon. Hunters can also seek out deer, duck, and wild turkey while anglers enjoy pulling out a fine catch from the 100-acre millpond. Golfers can perfect their backswing at the Bethune Country Club off Mecklenburg Road. Those who appreciate the arts or collectors will want to visit Bethune Pottery, a five-acre site that includes digging out, processing, and supplying Bethune clay to artists and classrooms across the state. This long-standing business turns out hundreds of pieces of concrete pottery each day.
Camden
Municipal Offices
803-432-2421
www.cityofcamden.org
Chamber of Commerce
803-432-2525
www.kershawcountychamber.org
The leading city of Camden serves as the county seat of government as well as the educational and healthcare hub of Kershaw County. Steeped in history and situated just 20 minutes away from Columbia, Camden offers quaint shopping opportunities, varied dining selections, and the appeal of a small-town lifestyle. The passion for horses spans the centuries, evidenced by a flourishing equestrian industry that includes the Springdale Race Course and a 600-acre training field that provides ideal conditions. The city’s charming historic district on the National Register harmonizes cottages with mansions, reflecting the community’s 250-year heritage. The city is home to important Revolutionary and Civil War sites and is crowned by the restored original town clock, circa 1825. The Westfall Arena and Entertainment Complex is a showcase for the finest in rodeo thrills and other special events.
Elgin
Municipal Offices
803-438-2362
http://townofelginsc.com
Chamber of Commerce
803-432-2525
www.kershawcountychamber.org
The rapidly growing town of Elgin shares a name with another community, the unincorporated village of Elgin in Lancaster County. Just 24 miles from Columbia, Elgin provides a serene setting for residential growth and commercial development. Yesterday’s “railroad town” is experiencing a modern boom, with a population that expanded from 760 in 1995 to nearly 7,000 with the new millennium. Recognized by Money Magazine as one of the nation’s boomtowns, the publication cited Elgin as a place where “you can trade metropolis for Mayberry without slashing your salary.” The town recently opened a community center as a focal point of activity and social interaction. Outside of Elgin are a number of contemporary subdivisions, expanding the options for a relaxed county pace in close proximity to major urban amenities.
Lugoff
County Offices
803-425-1500
www.kershaw.sc.gov
Chamber of Commerce
803-432-2525
www.kershawcountychamber.org
According to local lore, the quaint community of Lugoff was named for Count Lugoff, a Russian who was responsible for bringing railroad workers to this area. The vintage train station remains on Ward Road as evidence of the community’s genesis as a stop on the Seaboard Railroad. Lugoff is also proud of its status as the birthplace of Brook Benton, best known for recording “Rainy Night in Georgia.” In addition to the cozy neighborhoods within this small town, the surrounding countryside offers a number of modern subdivisions that expand the housing selection. Attractions in Lugoff include a popular golf and swim club nestled in hardwoods and pines and the Poets Pathway Folk Art Center. This venue showcases the writings and artwork of D.F. Dixon and other local artisans, but it also provides tranquil outdoor areas with nature trails. Just minutes from Lugoff are unique shops nestled in Camden’s historic district, the Springdale Race Course, a major healthcare facility, options for higher education, and lakefront water sports.
