Blackville, South Carolina

For other places with the same name, see Blackville (disambiguation).

Blackville, South Carolina
Town
Location of Blackville, South Carolina
Coordinates: 33°21′25″N81°16′22″W / 33.35694°N 81.27278°W / 33.35694; -81.27278
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
County	Barnwell
Area [1]
• Total	9.03 sq mi (23.40 km2)
• Land	8.93 sq mi (23.13 km2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.26 km2)
Elevation [2]	292 ft (89 m)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	1,923
• Density	215.29/sq mi (83.12/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	29817
Area codes	803, 839
FIPS code	45-06490 [4]
GNIS feature ID	1246909 [2]
Website	www.townofblackville.com

Blackville is a small town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,406 at the 2010 census. ^[5]

The town was named after Alexander Black, a railroad promoter. ^[6]

History

On December 22, 1781, a band of British Loyalists fought with a group of local Patriots two miles north of Blackville. The location, called Windy Hill at that time, is slightly east of the present-day Healing Springs Park and Church. The commanding officer was Captain Benjamin Odom, Jr. who was a member of Colonel William Harden's regiment. Sixteen Patriots were killed. Major “Bloody Bill” Cunningham was believed to be the commander of the Tory company. The area was known for many years as "Slaughter Hill".

Longtime state representative Solomon Blatt, Sr. was born in Blackville.

Geography

Blackville is located in northeastern Barnwell County at 33°21′25″N81°16′22″W / 33.35694°N 81.27278°W / 33.35694; -81.27278 (33.357078, -81.272649). ^[7] U.S. Route 78 passes through the town, leading west 31 miles (50 km) to Aiken and east 15 miles (24 km) to Bamberg. South Carolina Highway 3 leads southwest 9 miles (14 km) to Barnwell, the county seat.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Blackville has a total area of 9.0 square miles (23.4 km²), of which 8.9 square miles (23.1 km²) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km²), or 1.13%, is water. ^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	684		—
1890	962		40.6%
1900	1,116		16.0%
1910	1,278		14.5%
1920	1,421		11.2%
1930	1,284		−9.6%
1940	1,456		13.4%
1950	1,294		−11.1%
1960	1,901		46.9%
1970	2,395		26.0%
1980	2,840		18.6%
1990	2,688		−5.4%
2000	2,973		10.6%
2010	2,406		−19.1%
2020	1,923		−20.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [3]

2020 census

Blackville racial composition ^[8]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	250	13.0%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,583	82.32%
Native American	9	0.47%
Asian	6	0.31%
Other/Mixed	44	2.29%
Hispanic or Latino	31	1.61%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,923 people, 758 households, and 432 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census ^[4] of 2000, there were 2,973 people, 1,145 households, and 800 families residing in the town. The population density was 324.7 inhabitants per square mile (125.4/km²). There were 1,332 housing units at an average density of 145.5 per square mile (56.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 23.65% White, 75.61% Black, 0.07% Indian, 0.20% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.03% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.

There were 1,145 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.

Clock in downtown Blackville, SC

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,316, and the median income for a family was $28,537. Males had a median income of $25,150 versus $20,742 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,881. About 27.0% of families and 29.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.6% of those under age 18 and 28.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Education facilities in Blackville include Macedonia Elementary School, Blackville-Hilda Junior High School, Blackville-Hilda High School, Jefferson Davis Academy, Calvary Fellowship Mennonite, Bamberg/Barnwell County Adult Education, and Barnwell Christian School.

Blackville has a public library, a branch of the ABBE Regional Library System. ^[9]

Historic landmarks

God's Acre Healing Springs is a small patch of land whose legal owner is "God Almighty". The land includes a natural spring whose water local tradition holds has healing powers. ^[10]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Blackville, South Carolina
3. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Blackville town, South Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
6. Federal Writers' Project (1941). Palmetto Place Names. Sloane Printing Co. p. 26.
7. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
8. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
9. "South Carolina libraries and archives". SCIWAY. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
10. "God's Acre Healing Springs". Historic Marker Database. Retrieved August 16, 2012.

External links

• Official website