Abbeville is a city and county seat of Abbeville County, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is located west of Columbia and south of Greenville. Settled by French Huguenot settlers, it was named, along with the county, for the French town of the same name.

History

Abbeville was established by French Huguenots in 1764,

Abbeville and the American Civil War

thumb|left|The rock at Secession Hill

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Abbeville has the unique distinction of being both the birthplace and the deathbed of the Confederacy. On November 22, 1860, a meeting was held at Abbeville, at a site since dubbed "Secession Hill", to launch South Carolina's secession from the Union; one month later, the state of South Carolina became the first state to secede.

At the end of the Civil War, with the Confederacy in shambles, Confederate President Jefferson Davis fled Richmond, Virginia, and headed south, stopping for a night in Abbeville at the home of his friend Armistead Burt. It was on May 2, 1865, in the front parlor of what is now known as the Burt-Stark Mansion that Jefferson Davis officially acknowledged the dissolution of the Confederate government, in the last official cabinet meeting. In February 2007, Steven Bixby was convicted on 17 counts including the two murders, as well as lesser charges of kidnapping and conspiracy. He was given two death sentences for the murders plus 125 years in prison on the other charges.

Architectural mention

The Abbeville County Courthouse, Abbeville Historic District, Abbeville Opera House, Armistead Burt House, Patrick Calhoun Family Cemetery, Cedar Springs Historic District, Harbison College President's Home, Trinity Episcopal Church and Cemetery and Upper Long Cane Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Abbeville is also the location of the tallest building in South Carolina, the Prysmian Copper Wire Tower. Built in 2009, the tower is tall and has 30 floors.

Geography

Abbeville is located within the Piedmont Upland geographical region.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.19%, is water. In the winter highs are in the low- to mid-50s and lows are right around freezing, seldom dropping below . Precipitation is well distributed throughout the year. Afternoon thunderstorms are a common occurrence in the summer months and can bring heavy winds and lightning. Snow is rare, falling every few years. On March 31, 1973, an F4 tornado struck Abbeville and killed 7 people, making it the deadliest single tornado in 1973. The area was struck by two tornadoes on April 10, 2009. No fatalities were recorded, but the majority of the city lost power and many buildings sustained significant damage.

Demographics

Abbeville first appeared in the 1850 U.S. Census, when the town recorded a population of 1,252.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Abbeville had a population of 4,874. The median age was 41.1 years. 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 78.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 74.5 males age 18 and over.

95.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,107 households in Abbeville, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 30.8% were married-couple households, 21.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 2,389 || 49.0%

|-

| Black or African American || 2,275 || 46.7%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 5 || 0.1%

|-

| Asian || 8 || 0.2%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 2 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 24 || 0.5%

|-

| Two or more races || 171 || 3.5%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 52 || 1.1%

|}

2010 census

As of the 2010 census the population of Abbeville was 5,237. The racial composition of the city was 46.9% White, 50.5% Black or African American, 0.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 0.4% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% of other races, and 1.5% of Two or more races.

2000 census

As of the census Abbeville has Long Cane Primary, Westwood Elementary, J.S. Wright Middle, Dixie High, and Abbeville High for schools.

Abbeville has a public library, a branch of the Abbeville County Library System.

It also has some colleges, such as Piedmont Tech, Lander, Erskine, and many more.

Arts and culture

Abbeville Gypsy

Abbeville is the homeplace of a holiday pudding dessert called Gypsy. Gypsy consists of pound or sponge cake, boiled custard, sherry, whipping cream, and almonds. Variations of recipe substituting bourbon for sherry exist. It resembles English trifle and has been referred to as "tipsy pudding" and southern tiramisu. It is usually cooked for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas in many "old Abbeville" families. The dish is not known to exist outside of Abbeville other than in families who moved from Abbeville elsewhere. It is usually served in a special stemmed, medium-sized, decorative crystal compote.

The origins of Gypsy go back to late 19th century. There is a mention of Gispy cake in 1831 edition William Kitchiner's The Cook's Oracle, which may have been a prototype for the Abbeville Gypsy. A local legend tells a story of an unknown woman serving Gypsy to Confederate President Jefferson Davis at the end of the Civil War in 1865. Theresa C. Brown included a recipe for Gipsy cake in the Creams chapter of her Modern Domestic Cookery (1871).

Notable people

  • Christie Benet, (1879–1951), U.S. Senator for South Carolina
  • John C. Calhoun, (1782–1850), 7th American Vice President, 16th U.S. Secretary of State; born near Abbeville and also practiced law in Abbeville.
  • James S. Cothran (1830–1897), born near Abbeville, practiced law in Abbeville, confederate officer, judge, and United States Congressman from South Carolina, buried at Upper Long Cane Cemetery.
  • Thomas D. Howie (April 12, 1908 – July 17, 1944), American army officer killed during the Normandy Campaign of World War II while trying to capture the French town of Saint-Lô. He is known as "The Major of St. Lo".
  • Samuel McGowan (1819–1897), born in Laurens County, SC; Confederate General wounded four times. Post-war leader against "carpetbagger" rule; South Carolina Supreme Court associate justice.
  • Mary Elizabeth Moragne Davis (1815–1903) diarist, writer
  • Benjamin Glover Shields (1808–1850), born in Abbeville, United States Congressman from Alabama, chargé d'affaires in Venezuela

See also

  • List of cities in South Carolina
  • Warrenton Presbyterian Church (Abbeville, South Carolina)

Footnotes

References

  • Abbeville Opera House
  • Abbeville history and images