New Book Chronicles Stories Behind South Carolina’s County Courthouses
Retired College of Charleston history professor Rita Livingston recalls spending many of her girlhood days at the Jasper County Courthouse, where her aunt was the county auditor.
“I always realized there was more to a county courthouse than just getting a marriage license or looking up records,” she said.
It was serendipity that Livingston answered a call 16 years ago from Clay Young, a longtime county administrator who has served in Dillon and Kershaw counties.
Young, whose interest in the history of South Carolina county courthouses grew during his time as Dillion County administrator, had a book idea. When conducting research as part of a grant for Dillion County Courthouse renovations, Young learned there was no single place to get history and information on all 46 county courthouses.
What happened next was a 15-year project that involved Livingston, Young and graphic designer Jane Singh crisscrossing the Palmetto State, exploring history and telling the story of 46 counties through their courthouses.
The 396-page book, “South Carolina’s County Courthouses: An Illustrated History,” is now available. Including 700 photos, the book showcases the architectural and cultural significance of the counties’ iconic buildings.
“We wrote this book to offer a brief history of the 46 counties and South Carolina, and more importantly to preserve the origin stories of the many courthouses,” the authors wrote in the introduction. “From Abbeville to York, each county, and each county courthouse, has its own story.”
The authors, who were both working full time when they began the book project, spent 12 years gathering information, writing and editing. They split the state up, each traveling to assigned courthouses. Just over two years ago, Livingston retired from the College of Charleston and Young was preparing to retire from Dillon County. So, the two decided it was time to finish the book.
“There was no one place to get all the information,” Young said. “We had to go county by county. It was a lot of work collecting the information, and then we and had to go back and verify details.”
Livingston credits county officials like clerks of court and registers of deeds throughout the state with sharing important pieces of history.
“In Laurens County, the register of deeds pulled out the original deed to the original courthouse dating back to the 1700s,” she recalled. “Barnwell County has the oldest tax book in the state. The love that the people have for their courthouses across South Carolina and the history is impressive.”
The authors also included overviews and history of the South Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. For example, the Supreme Court was originally the Columbia Post Office, and the Calhoun building—which now houses the Court of Appeals—was initially meant to be the home of the Supreme Court.
More of these historical details can be found in the glossy, impressive coffee table book, which is available at sccourthouses.com or by emailing courthousebook@sccourthouses.com.
After spending more than a decade studying 48 courthouses, do the authors have a recommendation of which the average South Carolinian should visit?
They agree Charleston County, which graces the book’s cover, is essential. Young worked there and considers it a top beauty. Both authors recommend visits to a courthouse designed by architect William Augustus Edwards (Abbeville, Calhoun, Dillon, Jasper, Lee and Sumter) and a courthouse designed by famed architect Robert Mills, who also designed the Washington Monument. Fairfield and Williamsburg counties have the only two Mills courthouses still used as court buildings today.
“I’ve learned a lot, and it helped me as the county administrator to learn about these county courthouses,” said Young, who is now enjoying retirement and promoting the book. “I gained a better understanding of how South Carolina grew, how counties formed and the importance of the county courthouse as the central meeting spot.”
