Hartsville, South Carolina | |
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Motto: "A small town with a big heart" [1] | |
Coordinates: 34°22′10″N80°4′51″W / 34.36944°N 80.08083°W | |
Country | United States |
State | South Carolina |
County | Darlington |
Town of Hartsville | December 11, 1891 |
Government | |
• Type | Council-manager |
• Mayor | Casey Hancock |
Area | |
• Total | 5.99 sq mi (15.51 km2) |
• Land | 5.98 sq mi (15.49 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
Elevation | 217 ft (66 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 7,446 |
• Density | 1,244.94/sq mi (480.71/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP codes | 29550, 29551 |
Area code(s) | 843, 854 |
FIPS code | 45-32560 [4] |
GNIS feature ID | 1231367 [5] |
Website | www |
Hartsville is the largest city in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. It was chartered on December 11, 1891. The population was 7,764 at the 2010 census. [6] Hartsville was chosen as an All-America City in 1996 and again in 2016. Hartsville has also been a National Arbor Day Foundation Tree City since 1986.
Hartsville is home of Coker University and a branch of Florence–Darlington Technical College. It is also the home of the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, a public boarding high school.
The city is served by the Hartsville Regional Airport.
Hartsville is home to several major corporations including Sonoco Products Company, Duke Energy's H. B. Robinson Nuclear Generating Station, Novolex, and Stingray Boats.
The area surrounding Hartsville was once home to several Native American tribes, including the Pee Dee, Catawba, Chicora, Edisto, Sane, and Chicora-Waccamaw, who inhabited the region until European settlers arrived.
Hartsville's first settlement began around 1760. The town is named for Captain Thomas E. Hart, who eventually owned most of the land in the community. Hart started a successful mercantile business, but lost his business and his land during the economic depression of 1837–1838.
In 1845, Thomas Hart's son, John Lide Hart, purchased 495 acres (200 ha) of land in what is now downtown Hartsville from Colonel Law. John Hart went on to establish a carriage factory, steam-powered saw mill, grist mill, general store, and Hartsville Baptist Church. Caleb Coker purchased the carriage factory for his son James Lide Coker in 1855.
James Lide Coker came to Hartsville in 1857 with plans to implement new farming methods he had learned at Harvard College. This was interrupted by the start of the Civil War, in which he became a major for the Confederacy. He returned to Hartsville injured and found that his plantation was in shambles. He planned to reconstruct his plantation and bring prosperity to the town of Hartsville. Major Coker established Welsh Neck High School, which later became Coker University. He also established a seed company, oil mill, fertilizer plant, the Coker and Company General Store, a bank, and the Southern Novelty Company, now known as Sonoco Products Company. Even with his own successes in business, Coker and his family were unable to convince other business owners in the area to build a railroad spur, so they decided to build their own, which became the Hartsville Railroad, completed in 1889.
The Town of Hartsville received its first charter on December 11, 1891, during a period of bustling economic activity and growth. [7]
The railroad eventually became part of the South Carolina Central Railroad, and the Southern Novelty Company and Carolina Fiber Company merged to form Sonoco Products Company. Sonoco eventually expanded to a global scale and became a Fortune 500 company.
Hartsville's first Mayor was W.K. Bell, sworn in in 1892 just after the City was chartered. He served a partial term before being proceeded by Major James Lide Coker.
# | Mayor | Party | Sworn in | Left office | Comments |
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1 | W.K. Bell | 1892 | 1892 | ||
2 | James Lide Coker | 1892 | 1894 | Major Coker served in the Confederate Army in the American Civil War and was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1864 before moving to Hartsville. [8] January 3, 1837 - June 25, 1918. | |
3 | J.S. White | 1895 | 1896 | ||
4 | J.E. Bass | 1896 | 1896 | ||
5 | C.J. Woodrow | 1897 | 1897 | ||
6 | J.S. White | 1898 | 1900 | ||
7 | D.R. Coker | 1900 | 1901 | ||
8 | M.S. McKinnon | 1902 | 1903 | ||
9 | H.A. Edwards | 1904 | 1906 | ||
9 | C.W. Coker | 1907 | 1908 | ||
10 | M.S. McKinnon | 1909 | 1910 | ||
11 | E.A. Miller | 1911 | 1916 | ||
12 | L.B. Stephenson | 1919 | 1920 | ||
13 | P.H. Rogers | 1921 | 1926 | ||
14 | W.D. Arthur | 1927 | 1930 | ||
15 | R.E. Sowell | 1931 | 1934 | ||
16 | C.H. Campbell | 1935 | 1938 | ||
17 | L.H. Stokes | 1939 | 1944 | ||
18 | G.J. Lawton | 1945 | 1946 | ||
19 | R.W. Shand | 1947 | 1948 | ||
20 | R.B. White | 1949 | 1954 | ||
21 | P. Wilmeth | 1955 | 1957 | ||
22 | T.L. Maxwell | 1957 | 1963 | ||
23 | O.D. Kelly | 1963 | 1965 | ||
24 | Robert King Bass | 1965 | 1973 | February 16, 1925 - May 2, 1999 [9] | |
25 | Dr. Glenn Johnston Lawhon, Jr. | 1973 | 1985 | July 3, 1925 - February 16, 2017. [10] | |
26 | Louis Matthew "Matt" Cannarella | 1985 | 1993 | October 16, 1954 - November 8, 2016 [11] | |
27 | Flora "Flossie" C. Hopkins | 1994 | 2001 | Mayor Hopkins was Hartsville's first female Mayor. [12] April 12, 1939 - January 25th, 2021. [13] | |
28 | William A. Gaskins | 2001 | 2005 | Councilman Gaskins defeated Councilman Franklin Hines in the general election to win the Mayor's seat. | |
29 | Michael S. Holt | 2005 | 2009 | In August of 2009, Mayor Holt accepted an appointment as a judge and vacated his seat. [14] May 1, 1970 - July 28, 2024 [15] | |
30 | David L. McFarland | Aug. 2009 | Nov. 2009 | In August of 2009, Mayor Pro Tem McFarland became mayor for the remainder of Mayor Holt's term when Holt stepped down to accept an appointment as a judge. Mayor McFarland was Hartsville's first Black mayor. [16] | |
31 | Carl "Mel" M. Pennington, IV | November 10, 2009 [17] | Dec 14, 2021 | ||
32 | Casey G. Hancock | December 14, 2021 |
Locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
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Locations recognized by the South Carolina Historical Markers Program [18] as administered by the State Historic Preservation Office:
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Hartsville is located in northwestern Darlington County at 34°22′10″N80°4′51″W / 34.36944°N 80.08083°W (34.369474, −80.080783). [19] U.S. Route 15 bypasses the city to the southeast; it leads northeast 17 miles (27 km) to Society Hill and 47 miles (76 km) to Laurinburg, North Carolina, and southwest 40 miles (64 km) to Sumter. South Carolina Highway 151 bypasses the city to the southwest; it leads southeast 14 miles (23 km) to Darlington, the county seat, and northwest 14 miles (23 km) to McBee. Columbia, the state capital, is 70 miles (110 km) to the southwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Hartsville has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.0 km2), of which 5.7 square miles (14.8 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km2), or 7.11%, is water. [6] Prestwood Lake, an impoundment on Black Creek, is on the northern border of the city. Black Creek is part of the Pee Dee River watershed.
Hartsville enjoys a mild climate year-round. It experiences 213 sunny days on average. The number of days with measurable precipitation is 106, and the city receives about 46 inches (1,200 mm) of rainfall per year. The average low is 31 °F (−1 °C) in January, and the average high is 92 °F (33 °C) in July. During the winter months, Hartsville can receive snowfall. [20]
Climate data for Hartsville, South Carolina (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1947–1955, 1994–present) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) | 85 (29) | 91 (33) | 96 (36) | 100 (38) | 106 (41) | 104 (40) | 108 (42) | 101 (38) | 100 (38) | 87 (31) | 83 (28) | 108 (42) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.0 (23.9) | 77.5 (25.3) | 84.2 (29.0) | 88.7 (31.5) | 93.7 (34.3) | 98.2 (36.8) | 98.9 (37.2) | 98.2 (36.8) | 94.1 (34.5) | 88.1 (31.2) | 80.1 (26.7) | 75.1 (23.9) | 100.6 (38.1) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.9 (12.7) | 58.8 (14.9) | 66.4 (19.1) | 75.7 (24.3) | 82.4 (28.0) | 88.7 (31.5) | 91.9 (33.3) | 90.2 (32.3) | 84.8 (29.3) | 75.6 (24.2) | 65.3 (18.5) | 57.6 (14.2) | 74.4 (23.6) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 43.4 (6.3) | 46.4 (8.0) | 53.2 (11.8) | 61.9 (16.6) | 70.1 (21.2) | 77.6 (25.3) | 81.1 (27.3) | 79.6 (26.4) | 74.0 (23.3) | 63.1 (17.3) | 52.6 (11.4) | 46.1 (7.8) | 62.4 (16.9) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 31.9 (−0.1) | 34.1 (1.2) | 40.0 (4.4) | 48.1 (8.9) | 57.7 (14.3) | 66.5 (19.2) | 70.3 (21.3) | 68.9 (20.5) | 63.1 (17.3) | 50.6 (10.3) | 39.8 (4.3) | 34.6 (1.4) | 50.5 (10.3) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 16.4 (−8.7) | 20.3 (−6.5) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 33.5 (0.8) | 44.4 (6.9) | 56.7 (13.7) | 62.6 (17.0) | 60.5 (15.8) | 51.7 (10.9) | 36.0 (2.2) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 21.3 (−5.9) | 15.4 (−9.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | 8 (−13) | 9 (−13) | 15 (−9) | 25 (−4) | 38 (3) | 49 (9) | 54 (12) | 53 (12) | 41 (5) | 22 (−6) | 14 (−10) | 13 (−11) | 8 (−13) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.73 (95) | 3.35 (85) | 3.76 (96) | 2.98 (76) | 3.90 (99) | 4.64 (118) | 5.91 (150) | 5.20 (132) | 4.92 (125) | 3.41 (87) | 2.91 (74) | 3.81 (97) | 48.52 (1,232) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.5 (1.3) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.6 | 9.1 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 10.5 | 11.9 | 9.9 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 108.1 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
Source: NOAA [21] [22] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1890 | 342 | — | |
1900 | 704 | 105.8% | |
1910 | 2,365 | 235.9% | |
1920 | 3,624 | 53.2% | |
1930 | 5,067 | 39.8% | |
1940 | 5,399 | 6.6% | |
1950 | 5,658 | 4.8% | |
1960 | 6,392 | 13.0% | |
1970 | 8,017 | 25.4% | |
1980 | 7,631 | −4.8% | |
1990 | 8,372 | 9.7% | |
2000 | 7,556 | −9.7% | |
2010 | 7,764 | 2.8% | |
2020 | 7,446 | −4.1% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [23] [3] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White | 3,766 | 50.58% |
Black or African American | 3,149 | 42.29% |
Native American | 9 | 0.12% |
Asian | 91 | 1.22% |
Other/Mixed | 241 | 3.24% |
Hispanic or Latino | 190 | 2.55% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 7,446 people, 2,934 households, and 1,860 families residing in the city. [25] The population density was 1257.77 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 50.58% White, 42.29% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 2.55% Hispanic or Latino, and 3.24% two or more races.
There were 2,934 households, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.8% were married couples living together, 44.7% had a female householder with no spouse present, 16.2% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 5.3% were non-families. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 12.2% from 25 to 34, 9.2% from 35 to 44, 12.8% from 45 to 54, 11.7% from 55 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.7 years. The population is made up of 45.7% males and 54.3% females.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,487 with the median income for a family at $45,556, a married-couple family at $87,159, and non-family households at $24,200. The per capita income for the city was $23,469. 28.8% of the population was below the poverty line, including 52.0% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over.
Major employers in the area include Sonoco Products Company, Nucor Corporation, Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, Novolex, Stingray Boats, North Industrial Machine, and Duke Energy's H. B. Robinson Nuclear Generating Station.
At 4.3%, the unemployment rate is slightly higher than the national average of 3.9%. Job growth over the next decade is expected to be approximately 27.4% which is significantly lower than the US average of 33.5%. The household median income is $29,276/year which is significantly lower than the national median income of $53,482/year. [26]
There are many festivals, parades, and other events that residents of Hartsville look forward to each year.
Hartsville has several parks within the city.
Hartsville has a council–manager government. The city council, Hartsville's legislative body, is made of a mayor who is elected at large, and six council members who are elected in single-member districts, with one member elected by his/her peers as Mayor Pro-Tem. Regular meetings take place on the second Tuesday of the month. [38] City Hall is located at 100 E Carolina Avenue in a building previously occupied by the Bank of America. The new city hall opened in mid-2013. It has been praised by the citizens of Hartsville as a significant upgrade for the downtown area.
The Main Street Hartsville program is a partnership of the City of Hartsville, the Community Foundation for a Better Hartsville, and Main Street South Carolina, a program of the National Main Street Center. The organization seeks to build a vibrant downtown in Hartsville, focusing on thriving businesses, entertainment, recreating and historic preservation. It follows the Main Street "Four Point Approach" of organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring. [39] Main Street Hartsville administers a Sign and Paint grant for local businesses. It also oversees the Hartsville Farmers Market, Start-Up Hartsville, and Hartsville for the Holidays. They periodically hold contests for local businesses.
The public schools in Hartsville are governed by the Darlington County School District. For the 2019–2020 school year, the district approved a fiscal budget of $95,383,423.13. [40] The district-wide student-to-teacher ratio is about 16:1 [41] and the district spends about $14,178 per student. [42]
Coker University, a private, baccalaureate-granting institution, is located in Hartsville. It offers a four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts, as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom.
Florence–Darlington Technical College, based in nearby Florence, South Carolina, maintains a satellite campus in Hartsville.
Hartsville has a public library, a branch of the Darlington County Library System. [45]
Hartsville is served by several local, regional, and state media outlets. The Hartsville Messenger, an affiliate of SCNow, is the local newspaper, with The State serving as a source for statewide news. WBTW News 13, WPDE-TV News 15, and WFXB Fox TV are the news channels that serve the Hartsville area as well as the entire Pee Dee and Grand Strand regions.
Downtown Hartsville and most neighborhoods in Hartsville are designed around a standard grid layout whose use began when the city first developed. However, in newly developed sections of the city, such as around Hartsville Crossing, the road layout is less orthodox.
Hartsville is located 14 miles (23 km) north of Interstate 20 and 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Interstate 95.
The City of Hartsville maintains garbage and recycling services for residents within the city limits, as well as water services. Electric services are provided by Duke Energy and Pee Dee Electric Cooperative. Dish Network, DirecTV, AT&T, and Spectrum serve television and internet needs.
Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center is a large medical complex located on the edge of Hartsville. The hospital has 116 beds available for patients, not including those located in the hospital's Level III capable trauma/ER unit.
Darlington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,905. Its county seat is Darlington. Hartsville is the largest community in the county. Darlington County is home to the Darlington Raceway, which hosts the annual NASCAR Southern 500. Darlington County is also home to Coker College in Hartsville. Darlington County was named by an act in March 1785.
Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.
North Hartsville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,251 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Hartsville Urban Cluster.
Society Hill is a town in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States alongside the Pee Dee River. It is the oldest community in Darlington County and one of the first towns founded in South Carolina. The town was once the intellectual center of the Pee Dee region. However, the town's fortunes declined in the 19th century after rivers became less important as means of transportation. It is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolitan area. The area forms the core of the historical Pee Dee region of South Carolina, which includes the eight counties of northeastern South Carolina, along with sections of southeastern North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 39,899, making it the 10th-most populous city in the state.
Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, South Carolina, United States. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War. The population was 6,939 at the 2010 census.
Coker University is a private university in Hartsville, South Carolina. It was founded in 1908 and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Coker's sports teams, nicknamed the Cobras, compete in NCAA Division II.
The Pee Dee is a region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It lies along the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named after the Pee Dee, an Indigenous tribe historically inhabiting the region.
Sonoco Products Company is an American provider of diversified consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and packaging supply chain services and the world's largest producer of composite cans, tubes, and cores. The company was founded in 1889 as Southern Novelty Company with annualized net sales of approximately $7.3 billion. Sonoco has 19,900 employees in more than 335 operations in 33 countries, serving more than 85 nations. The company is headquartered in Hartsville, South Carolina, and is South Carolina's largest corporation in terms of sales.
Charles Westfield Coker was an American businessman who was the president and CEO of Sonoco Products Company of Hartsville, South Carolina. He also served as a director of Bank of America, Sara Lee Corporation, HanesBrands Inc., Springs Industries, and Carolina Power & Light Company, and as chairman of the board of Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina. Along with being initiated into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame, Coker has been granted South Carolina's highest philanthropic honor, the Order of the Palmetto.
Hartsville High School is a public secondary school serving grades 9–12 located in Hartsville, South Carolina. 1,226 students attended Hartsville High for the 2017–2018 school year. It was founded in 1961.
Major James Lide Coker was a businessman, merchant, industrialist, Christian philanthropist, and Civil War veteran, and the founder of Sonoco Products Company and Coker College. He was called "The Major" after his service in the Confederate Army.
Coker Experimental Farms, also known as Coker Pedigreed Seed Company, is a National Historic Landmark agricultural site at 1257 South Fourth Street in Hartsville, South Carolina, USA. The property, which is now owned by a museum, was the location where David R. Coker conducted crucial breeding experiments to enhance the strains of cotton and other crops cultivated in the southern United States. Coker was a major force in the development of agricultural extension services in the South in the early decades of the 20th century. What remains of his farm was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
Charles C. Wilson was an American architect in practice in Columbia, South Carolina, from 1896 until his death in 1933.
James L. Coker III House is a historic home located at Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina. It was built in 1931, and is a two-story, three-bay, brick Colonial Revival style residence. It has two-story, lateral gable wings flanked by one-story end gable wings, and a one-story sunroom. It features an engaged portico with four slender Tuscan order columns. It was the home of James Lide Coker, III (1904-1961), prominent Hartsville manufacturer and president of Sonoco Products Company. Also on the property is a one-story, frame, double-pen "cabin".
The C. K. Dunlap House is a historic house located at 1346 West Carolina Avenue in Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina.
J. B. Gilbert House is a historic home located at Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina. It was built in 1929, and is a two-story, brick Tudor Revival style residence. It has a cross gable slate roof, limestone trim, decorative ironwork, half timbering, and herringbone brickwork in the gables. It was the home of John Barton Gilbert (1891-1953), a prominent Hartsville manufacturer and businessman. Gilbert served Sonoco first as a salesman, then an accountant, and finally as corporate treasurer.
J.L. Coker Company Building is a historic commercial building located at Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina. It was designed by Charles Coker Wilson and built in 1909–1910. It is a one-story, 11-bay, brick building with a brick warehouse addition. The building covers an area of approximately one acre. The façade consists of an arcade whose segmental arches enclose the display bays and entrances. It was built for the company founded by Major James Lide Coker. It is currently the home of the Hartsville YMCA.
Davidson Hall, Coker University, also known as the Administration Building, is a historic educational building located on the campus of Coker University at Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina. It was built in 1909–1910, and is a two-story, 15-bay, rectangular brick building with Neo-Classical details. It has a hip roof and a projecting semicircular auditorium on the rear elevation. The front façade features a projecting, two-story, pedimented portico, supported by six stuccoed Ionic order columns. It was built with funds donated by the college's founder, Major James Lide Coker, and was the first building constructed for Coker University.
Memorial Hall, also known as the General Service Building, is a historic dormitory building located on the campus of Coker University at Hartsville, Darlington County, South Carolina. It was built in two phases in 1913 and 1916. Memorial Hall is a three-story, five-bay, masonry building with Neo-Classical details. The front façade features a three-bay projecting full-height portico supported by four colossal Corinthian order columns. In 1916, the General Service Building was added and consists of three distinct parts: a central projecting block and two dormitory wings. It was built with funds donated by the college's founder, Major James Lide Coker.