SC History Trail

Welsh Neck-Long Bluff-Society Hill Historic District

Centered in the town of Society Hill, the Welsh Neck-Long Bluff-Society Hill Historic District consists of dozens of historic homes, churches, commercial buildings and public structures from the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

Welsh Neck-Long Bluff-Society Hill Historic District
US 15, Society Hill, SC 29532
Map: View Map and Directions
Itinerary
Add This Site to Your Itinerary
Site Description
Centered around the historic Darlington County town of Society Hill, the Welsh Neck-Long Bluff-Society Hill Historic District features dozens of historic homes, churches, public buildings and historic sites from the 18th and 19th centuries. Welsh Neck and Long Bluff, which are now mainly wooded areas with little or scattered habitation, were important communities during South Carolina's Colonial Era. Settled originally by Welsh colonists from Delaware and Pennsylvania, Welsh Neck and nearby Long Bluff became backcountry communities for Baptist "dissenters" - Baptists who did not belong to Britain's national denomination, the Anglican Church or Church of England.

On the eve of the American Revolution, successful cotton planters from Long Bluff formed the St. David's Society to promote local education, and a few years later they built a new school, St. David's Academy. Students at the school were taught by capable, well-educated tutors recruited to the school to provide a quality education. In 1785, Welsh Neck Baptist Church was established in the area, and a village arose around the school and church. It was named Society Hill in reference to the St. David's Society. Most residents of the village of Long Bluff moved to Society Hill, which became the cultural, political, commercial and spiritual center of northern Darlington County in the 18th century.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Society Hill made a major contribution to South Carolina, producing leaders in law, government, religion, education, the military, agriculture and the arts. Numerous historic homes, commercial buildings and public structures are located in the area, including the Old Society Hill Library, Coker & Rogers General Store, Welsh Neck Baptist Church and Parsonage, the John McIver House, the Enoch Hanford House, the Josiah Evans House, the Society Hill Train Depot and others. The Welsh Neck-Long Bluff-Society Hill Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Access and Admission
Historic Registry: National Register: Listed December 16, 1974