Page 16 • Hampton Magazine • Information Please 2014 Places to go, things to see


Savor the sights of Hampton County


The Hampton County Courthouse -


This “Temple of Justice” is on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1878, the same year the S.C. General Assembly declared this northern portion of Beaufort County its own separate county. The cor- nerstone was laid by General Wade Hamp- ton himself.


Hampton County Museum - 702 First


Street, Hampton (803) 943-5484 – Housed in the former Hampton County Jailhouse building, it is operated and maintained as a joint effort by Hampton County and the Historic Society. It contains a collection of Civil War


memorabilia, including various maps and uniforms. Photographs of the county and its people and their ancestors are also on display. Open Thursdays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the first Sunday of the month, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.


Hampton Museum and Visitors Center – 99 Elm Street East, Hampton (803) 943-


5318 – Contains military artifacts, as well as a children’s room. Exhibits include a collec- tion of antique medical equipment donated by local physicians and a section dedicated to the ethnic cultures of the Lowcountry. Local craftsmen and artisans also contrib- ute to a continuous rotating exhibit. Open Thursdays and Saturdays 2 p.m. to 5p.m. and the first Sunday of the month, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.


The Estill Nature Walking Trail – The


new trail is located on 500 Second Street East behind the Estill Fire Station. For directions call the Town of Estill at (803) 625-3243. It is a quarter of a mile long and has learning stations so you can learn about nature as you walk.


The Estill Museum – Located on 44


Third Street in Estill. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The small museum features exhib- its on the history of Estill. For more informa- tion call (803) 625-3803.


Hampton Colored School – Holly


Street, Hampton. Built in 1931, the Hamp- ton Colored School used to be the only educational facility for Hampton’s black children. The structure replaced a dilapidated one room school- house that dated back to 1922. The school taught first through eighth grades until 1944, when they added the ninth and 10th grades. Recent efforts have been suc- cessful in restoring the wood frame building. The structure has been named to both the South Carolina and the National Register of Historic Places. Recently restored as a museum.


Lawtonville


Baptist Church – Circa 1819. Site of Lawton- ville Village destroyed by Sherman’s troops. View remains of a masonry staircase and a baptistery of one of the oldest Baptist churches in South


Carolina. Only a few miles west of Estill.


Stoney Creek Chapel – Circa 1832. Built in the high piney woods of McPher- sonville. It was here that many plantation owners had summer residences where they retreated to escape the unhealthy lowlands during the months of mosquito infestation. Many planters gave up portions of their property to form one 210 foot square acre on which the chapel was built, providing a place of worship.


Town of Varnville – The town was


originally known as Dixie, circa 1800. View lovely old homes, the former depot and the gazebo. It was said the aristocrats settled in Varnville. One of the founders was James Varn who operated a saw mill. Scenes from the movie “Forest Gump” were filmed there.


Brunson’s Famous Town Hall – Ripley’s


Believe or Not cited it as the only town hall on stilts in the world. It stands tall and proud as a landmark of the “largest town” on the Charleston & Western Railroad. The main reason for the stilts was to provide shade and accessibility for an artesian well beneath the building.


Estill Recreation Department – Estill


Town Hall, 205 Railroad Avenue East, Estill (803) 625-3243. Includes Estill Recreation Park.


Penny Branch Golf Club – 400 Penny


Branch Trail, Furman (803) 625-0222. Hampton Recreation Department –


Hampton Town Hall, 608 First Street West (803) 943-2951. Includes Holly Street and Nix Street parks for softball, tennis, soccer and playground equipment.


Lake Warren State Park – Located off


U.S. Highway 601 South, this 1,390 acre park offers a nature trail, pier fishing, boat- ing, picnicking and nature viewing along a shady lake. Programs are scheduled quarterly. An


amphitheater is a great place for programs. A community building, Hampton Hall, is available for rental for parties and meetings. Call for park hours, (803) 943-5051. The park offers 12-foot boats for rent


by the hour or the day.


Festivals Hampton County also boasts sev-


eral annual festivals. There’s the Hampton County Watermelon Festival, the Yemassee


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