Darlington

Formed March 1, 1785 (21^st county)

Darlington County (62,907), Darlington (6,208), Hartsville (7,441)

The Modern skyscraper was built in 1964 on a square at Main, Ward, Hewitt, and Cashua streets.  United States Highway 52 Business is Main Street.  Gyles, Basset, Clarke & Wolf provided the building designs of this tan brick and concrete courthouse.  There was a more traditional courthouse previously from 1903.  Darlington County was established on March 1, 1785 as the 21^st county with Darlington as the only county seat.  The county and its county seat are named for American Revolutionary War Colonel Darlington.  Darlington County is the birthplace for 2 South Carolina Governors, David R. Williams and David M. Beasley. 

Darlington County government consists of a sheriff and 8 Council Members.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Four Family Court Judges serve Darlington, Chesterfield, Dillon, and Marlboro counties.  Darlington County is in the northeast part of the state.  Columbia, South Carolina is southwest and Charleston, South Carolina is south of the county.  The county center is 9.4 miles Northwest of Darlington nearer Hartsville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Marlboro, Florence, Lee, Kershaw, and Chesterfield counties. 

The area of the county is 566 square miles.  It is 28 out of 46 in the state.  It ranks 23 out of 46 in population in the state.  It has a density of 111.1 persons per square mile making it 20 out of 46 in the state.  Darlington County has 23.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 15 passes through the county from northeast to southwest from Marlboro County to Lee County.  United States Highway 52 comes from the north, Chesterfield County, and goes to the southeast, Florence County.  United States Highway 401 is joined with United States Highway 15 from Marlboro County, splits and continues south into Lee County.  The county looks like a leaning house with two legs attached on the southwest side.  The City of Darlington is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Hartsville is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Darlington is the county seat and Hartsville is the largest city.  Darlington is 9.9% of the county population while Hartsville is 11.8% of the county population.  This county is in the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Society Hill