Kingstree, South Carolina

thumb|Main Street, Kingstree, South Carolina

Kingstree is a city in and the county seat of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,328 at the 2010 census.

History

The original town was laid out as Williamsburg by the Lords Proprietors in colonial times, but a lone, unusually large white pine was found along the Black River. Since tall white pines were ideal for use as masts for ships, it was claimed by the Crown on behalf of the king. The broad arrow mark was carved into the tree to prevent any colonists from cutting it. Though white pines are native to the Appalachians as far south as Georgia, it is the only tree of King George’s ever found in the South. Over time, the county kept the name Williamsburg, but the county seat became known as the King's Tree. In 1867 Twenty-two African-American prisoners were killed in a fire at the jail.

Battles

Battle of the Lower Bridge

General Francis Marion, known as the Swamp Fox, defeated the British at the Battle of the Lower Bridge in March 1781. A historical marker between US Highway 521 and the Black River denotes the battle.

Battle of King's Tree

After the British had captured Charles Town during the revolution, General Marion gained supporters from Major John James. The Battle of King's Tree took place on August 27, 1780. The city sustained losses, including Indiantown Presbyterian Church being burned to the ground.

Historical homes and buildings

The Kingstree Historic District, M.F. Heller House, Colonel John Gotea Pressley House, Scott House, and Thorntree are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Williamsburg Presbyterian Church

Williamsburg Presbyterian Church was founded in August 1736. The church consisted of three structures. Its founders built the first church in 1738 across from the Williamsburg Cemetery in town; the second building was constructed in 1828 and was across from the Williamsburg Cemetery as well. The third, the current structure of the church located on North Academy Street was built in 1914. The stained glass windows on the roof of the church today were imported from Austria. One of the stained glass windows on the roof was removed in 1989 during a renovation and was placed behind the pulpit of the sanctuary. The first person to be buried in the church cemetery was John Witherspoon(1670–1737), the father of James Witherspoon, builder of Thorntree.

Williamsburg Presbyterian Church celebrated its 275th Birthday in October 2011. The church held a service to share Kingstree's history. The church is the oldest church that still exists today between the Santee and Cape Fear Rivers in North and South Carolina. Williamsburg Presbyterian is the mother church to 33 other Presbyterian churches. Two daughter churches include nearby Union Presbyterian church in Salters, South Carolina, and Indiantown Presbyterian Church in Williamsburg County.

The Kingstree company formed at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church's original churchyard in July 1780. The company was led by Captain Henry Mouzon and later turned into the battalion and then formed a brigade led by Francis Marion against the British. The British occupied the home during the revolution when it was at its original location, on the Black River. Gavin Witherspoon was the owner at the time.

Demographics

2020 census

{| class="wikitable"

|+Kingstree Racial Composition

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|White

|767

|23.64%

|Black or African American

|2,255

|69.51%

|Native American

|14

|0.43%

|Asian

|69

|2.13%

|Pacific Islander

|48

|0.04%

|Other/Mixed

|88

|2.71%

|Hispanic or Latino

|51

|1.57%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 3,244 people, 1,414 households, and 725 families residing in the town.

2010 census

According to the census

Notable people

Maxine Brown – blues and R&B singer
Arischa Conner – American Actress
Carol Connor – first female circuit court and supreme court judge in South Carolina.
Mary Gordon Ellis – first woman elected to the South Carolina legislature, raised in Kingstree
Louise Fulton - professional bowler
Joseph L. Goldstein (born 1940) – Nobel Prize winner
Uhuru Hamiter – American football player
JoAnn Haysbert – first female president of Langton University
John Mack - civic leader
Bryant McFadden – NFL cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Rollee McGill – R&B Singer, musician, saxophone player
Yancey McGill – former Lt. governor of South Carolina
Wesley Mouzon - professional boxer
Clifton Newman - South Carolina circuit court judge and former prosecutor
Teddy Pendergrass - R&B singer
J. Victor Rowell – member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Thomas D. Singleton – United States Representative from South Carolina
Stephen Atkins Swails – soldier and politician
Henry N. Tisdale (born 1944), American academic administrator and mathematician

Festivals

Kingstree Pig Pickin' Festival

The "Pig Pickin'" Festival is held every fall for all the chefs of Kingstree to compete in a barbecue recipes. The festival draws crowds from all over to test the Williamsburg County vinegar-based barbecue. In 2010, the festival had a record breaking number of contestants. Seventy groups competed with contestants that traveled from other states including North Carolina and Georgia. The area golf course, Swamp Fox Golf Course, sponsors a golf tournament to begin the events every year for the festival. Other events include tennis tournaments, car show, arts and crafts, food venders, live music, and activities for children.

Kingstree Trials

Since 1996, the Williamsburg Hometown Chamber has sponsored "The King's Tree trials" for those in the Kingstree community. The races take place at the McCutchen training center which is the home of Deborah and Bobby McCutchen in the Cedar Swamp area on a weekend in November. Jockeys and their horses are brought in for the event.