Our Community
Education
Public
Hampton School District 1
In Hampton District One, located in the northern section of the county, schools include: Wade Hampton High School, North District Middle School, Brunson Elementary School, Ben Hazel Primary School, Hampton Elementary, Varnville Elementary, and Fennell Elementary. Hampton School District 2In Hampton District Two, located in the southern section of the county, the schools include: Estill High School, Estill Middle School, and Estill Elementary. Independent
Patrick Henry AcademyPrivate school education is offered for grades K through 12 at Patrick Henry Academy near Estill. Patrick Henry offers excellent academic programs that lead to a large percentage of graduates enrolling at colleges and universities. Community Christian AcademyThe Community Christian Academy, founded in 1999, was established as a ministry to serve families from all denominations that desire a biblically based quality Christian education for their children. Post Secondary Education
Post-secondary education is available at several locations in and near Hampton County. Technical College of the Lowcountry is located in Beaufort with a branch in Varnville. TCL is a comprehensive two-year college offering associate degree or certificate programs in both academic and technical fields. TCL, which set a record for enrollment for fall 2002, serves Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties. The University of South Carolina Salkehatchie branch is located 15 minutes away in Allendale. The branch offers two-year associate degrees and courses applicable to four-year degrees through the University of South Carolina system. The University of South Carolina Beaufort campus is located about an hour away in Beaufort and currently has a campus under construction just over a half hour away in the New River area of Jasper County. USC-Beaufort offers a four-year degree in a number of disciplines.
Medical Services
Continuing work on the
exterior
Hampton Regional Medical Center Hampton Regional Medical Center provides the highest quality care to the residents of Hampton County. In the summer of 2006 our local health care services took a huge leap forward with the construction of Our New Hospital.
Media
Newspaper
Hampton County GuardianThe Hampton County Guardian is one of Hampton County's oldest traditions. The Hampton County Guardian was founded by a then-24-year-old Charleston newspaperman, Miles Benjamin McSweeney on August 22, 1879. For over 125 years, The Hampton County Guardian has been publishing today's news and tomorrow's history of our community. Radio
Cruise 92
Libraries
Estill Public Library
Library
The Hampton County Library serves the citizens with two branches and a bookmobile. One library is located in Hampton and another in Estill.
Hampton Branch Estill Branch
Recreation
Gazebo at Lake Warren
Hampton County residents and visitors enjoy the best whitetail deer hunting in the state. In fact hunters across the southeast call Hampton County home from mid-August to the end of the year as they track that trophy buck. Hunters also enjoy wild boar, wild turkey, duck, dove and quail.
Bostick Plantation Buck Run Hunting Lodge Cypress Creek Hunting Lodge Gohagan's Guide
Lake Warren State Park
Located off U.S. Highway 601 South, this 1,390 acre park offers a nature trail, pier fishing, boating, picnicking, and nature viewing along a shady lake.
Webb Wildlife Center
The Webb Center, one of the sites featured in the South Carolina Nature Viewing Guide, is a facility owned and managed by the South Caroline Department of Natural Resources to provide wildlife habitat and opportunities for public recreation.
Penny Branch Golf Club
Hampton County offers championship golfing at the Penny Branch Golf Club, a 6,550-yard layout, in Furman. The "Field of Dreams" type course has attracted golfers from around the world.
For the youth, there are organized sports all during the year including football, soccer, basketball, softball and baseball. Also, the Hampton County Recreation Department offers many activities for youth and adults including sports, dance, martial arts, arts and crafts and self-help programs. There is church league softball for men and women, too.
If you are looking for even more excitement, the sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean and resorts at Hilton Head Island are just an hour away from Hampton County. Hilton Head is world renowned for their championship golf courses. Picturesque Beaufort is less than an hour away and the major shopping hubs of historic Charleston and Savannah are about an hour away.
Cultural Events
Palmetto Theater
Hampton County's cultural activities are centered around the Palmetto Theater. The theater, which seats 221, is the setting for plays, concerts, art shows, a "Kids Kulture Kamp", and many other special events held throughout the year.
The theater originally opened in 1946 and became one of Hampton's social centers. But years later, the theater fell into disrepair and closed. However, those who appreciate the arts did not forget the theater and found a way to revive it. The Hampton County Arts Council was formed and bought the theater. Following extensive renovations the theater reopened in 1993 to a sell-out crowd and has been providing Hampton County residents with arts and entertainment opportunities ever since.
Festivals
Hapton County Watermelon FestivalHampton County is home to the state's oldest, continuing festival, The Hampton County Watermelon Festival. Started in 1939, the festival runs eight days, and was designed to celebrate the county's largest crop. Hampton County continues to be one of the largest producers of watermelons in the state. Upwards to 50,000 tourists and visitors descend on Hampton County the third week of June to enjoy ice-cold watermelons, parades, a battle of the towns, street dances, 5k runs, a fishing contest, mud runs and more. Yemassee Shrimp Festival Visitors delight in the Yemassee Shrimp Festival each September. The featured attraction is shrimp, shrimp, and more shrimp! Since 1993, visitors and residents have enjoyed such activities as a lighted boat parade, fireworks display, the Combahee River Run, street dance and shag contest, beauty pageant, taste of Yemassee and more. Estill Fall FestivalOne of Hampton County's newer festivals is the Estill Fall Festival, held each October. Events include a gospel program, talent and fashion show, street dance, parade, Taste of Estill and more. Gifford Junefest The Gifford Junefest also known as the Sixth of June Festival, is held annually in Gifford and is similar to a huge reunion of friends and neighbors. The festival recognizes the day when citizens first learned of the Emancipation Proclamation. The festivities include a parade, gospel programs, a softball tournament and lots of food. Furman Mayfest
The Furman Mayfest is Hampton County's newest festival. Furman residents celebrate the spring with the plaiting of the May Pole, a carnival, arts and crafts and food. Brunson Youth Program Fun Day
The Town of Brunson will host two days of family fun at the Brunson youth program fun day. Beginning on the Friday before Labor Day and ending on saturday, children and adults can enjoy attending events such as a crab crack and fish fry, a 5K run and walk-a-thon, a parade, motorcycle shows, and much more. New Year's Fireworks - VarnvilleThe Town of Varnville and the varnville Community Council hosts a New Year's Eve celebration of the arts culminating with a fireworks display. The event is free. A Day in the Park - Varnville
Each Spring, the Town of Varnville holds a celebration at the Varnville Gazebo on Palmetto Avenue. Activities include music, arts/crafts booths, concessions, and displays.
Historical buildings and Museums
Courthouse before renovations
Hampton County Courthouse
This "Temple of Justice" is on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1878, the same year the South Carolina General Assembly declared this northern portion of Beaufort County its own separate county. The cornerstone was laid by General Wade Hampton himself. The courthouse is currently undergoing extensive renovations.
Hampton County Museum
The Hampton County Museum in Hampton is located in the old jailhouse. The museum contains an extensive collection of Civil War memorabilia, including various maps and uniforms. Also memorabilia from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and more. Photographs of the county and its people and their ancestors are also on display.
Hampton Museum and Visitor's Center
The Town of Hampton Museum and Visitors' Center is located in an old bank building. The museum contains military artifacts, a children's room, an exhibition of various antique medical equipment donated by local physicians and Watermelon Festival memorabilia. Also, on a regular basis local craftsmen and artisans display their wares on a rotating basis. The museum is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hampton Colored School
The Hampton Colored School was built in 1931 and used to be the only educational facility for the community's Black children. The structure replaced a dilapidated one-room school house that dated back to 1922. The facility has been restored and named to both the South Carolina and the National Register of Historic Places. The museum serves as a repository of Black History in Hampton.
Lawtonville Baptist Church
Circa 1819. Site of Lawtonville Village (destroyed by Sherman's troops). Only remains are a masonry staircase and a baptistry. It's one of the oldest baptist churches in South Carolina. It is located only a few miles west of Estill.
Stoney Creek Chapel
Circa 1832. Stoney Creek Chapel was built in the high piney woods of McPhersonville. It was here that many plantation owners and their families had summer residences where they retreated to escape the unhealthy lowlands during the months of mosquito infestation. Many of the planters gave up portions of their property to form one 210-ft. square acre on which the chapel was built, providing a place of worship.
Town of Varnville
Circa 1800. The town was originally known as "Dixie". The view of Varnville is of lovely old homes, the former depot and gazebo. It was said that the aristocrats settled in Varnville. One of the original founders was James Varn who operated a sawmill. Scenes from the movie "Forrest Gump" were filmed here.
Brunson's Famous Town Hall
Ripley's "Believe It or Not" cited it as the only Town Hall on stilts in the world. It stands tall and proud as a landmark of this once "largest town" on the Charleston & Western Railroad. The main reason for the stilts was to provide shade and accessibility for an artersian well beneath the build.
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