Orangeburg, South Carolina

thumb|Russell Street, downtown's main street

thumb|Downtown Loop

Orangeburg is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2020 census. The city is located 37 miles southeast of Columbia, on the north fork of the Edisto River.

Two historically black institutions of higher education are located in Orangeburg: Claflin University (a liberal arts college) and South Carolina State University (a public university).

History

18th century

European settlement in this area started in 1704 when George Sterling set up a post here for fur trade with Native Americans. To encourage settlement, the General Assembly of the Province of South Carolina in 1730 organized the area as a township, naming it Orangeburg for William IV, Prince of Orange, the son-in-law of King George II of Great Britain. In 1735, a colony of 200 Swiss, German and Dutch immigrants formed a community near the banks of the North Edisto River. The site was attractive because of the fertile soil and the abundance of wildlife. The river provided the all-important transportation waterway to the port of Charleston on the Atlantic coast for the area's agriculture and lumber products, and for shipping goods upriver. The town soon became a well-established and successful colony, composed chiefly of small yeomen farmers.

Orangeburg's first church was established by a German Lutheran congregation. It later identified as an Anglican Church, which was the established church and exempt from colonial taxation. The church building was erected prior to 1763 in the center of the village; it was destroyed by fighting during the Revolutionary War. A new church was built; during the Civil War, it was used as a smallpox hospital by General William Tecumseh Sherman on his march through with Union forces.

19th century

After the American Revolution, the character of the county changed dramatically. Invention by Eli Whitney of a mass-produced cotton gin for processing short-staple or "green seed" cotton made this type of cotton profitable. It was easily grown in the upland areas, and the county was rapidly developed into large cotton plantations. Agricultural labor was provided by enslaved African Americans, many brought into the area in a forced migration from the coastal areas or the Upper South via the domestic slave trade. Slaves became the majority of population in the county and city.

Freed after the Civil War, blacks began to gain educations, and two colleges were established in the city, the second designated as a land grant institution for all black students in the state under segregation. Blacks were also subject to Jim Crow laws passed by the Democrat-dominated state legislature; they were deprived of their ability to vote by South Carolina's disenfranchising constitution passed at the turn of the 20th century, which erected barriers to voter registration.

In 1919, the Orangeburg Regional Medical Center opened.

20th century

thumb|A [[Modern display of the Confederate battle flag|controversial Confederate flag in Orangeburg owned by the Sons of Confederate Veterans]]

Efforts by blacks to regain civil rights increased in the postwar period after World War II. In the 1960s, Orangeburg was a major center of Civil Rights Movement activities by students from both Claflin College and South Carolina State College as well as black residents of the city. After the US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) declaring segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional, local blacks sought integration of local schools in 1956. Whites retaliated economically, sometimes firing activists or evicting them from rental housing. College students came to their support with hunger strikes, boycotts, and mass marches. In 1960, over 400 students were arrested on sit-ins and integration marches organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

In August 1963, the Orangeburg Freedom Movement (OFM), chaired by Harlowe Caldwell of the NAACP, submitted 10 pro-integration demands to the Orangeburg Mayor and City Council. After negotiations failed, mass demonstrations similar to those in the Birmingham campaign in Alabama resulted in more than 1,300 arrests. Local efforts to end segregation in public places continued, particularly after Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

On February 8, 1968, after days of protests against a de facto segregated bowling alley, violence broke out near the bowling alley as police attacked Black students from South Carolina State. Police opened fire on a crowd of students, killing Samuel Hammond, Henry Smith, and Delano Middleton, and wounding 27 others in what became known as the "Orangeburg Massacre".

21st century

In May 2000, the city created the Orangeburg County Community of Character initiative. It is a collaborative effort in community development by the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association (DORA), The Times and Democrat newspaper, the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce, and the Orangeburg County Development Commission. In 2005, the National Civic League awarded Orangeburg County the All-America City Award which recognizes and encourages civic excellence. It honors communities in which citizens, government, businesses, and non-profit organizations demonstrate successful resolution of critical community issues.

In 2007, Orangeburg hosted the first Democratic U.S. presidential candidate debate of the campaign season at Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium on the campus of South Carolina State University; future president Barack Obama was one of the debaters. In 2021, President Joe Biden visited Orangeburg to deliver a commencement address at South Carolina State.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.5 km2), of which 8.3 square miles (21.5 km2) is land and 0.12% is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Orangeburg has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated Cfa on climate maps.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Orangeburg, South Carolina – racial and ethnic composition

!Race / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|3,758

|2,891

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,237

|29.44%

|20.70%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16.90%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|8,577

|10,411

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,119

|67.19%

|74.56%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |76.43%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|17

|24

|style='background: #ffffe6; |48

|0.13%

|0.17%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.36%

|Asian alone (NH)

|145

|231

|style='background: #ffffe6; |277

|1.14%

|1.65%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.09%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14

|0.04%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%

|Other race alone (NH)

|30

|12

|style='background: #ffffe6; |36

|0.24%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.27%

|Mixed-race or multiracial (NH)

|68

|122

|style='background: #ffffe6; |249

|0.53%

|0.87%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.88%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|165

|266

|style='background: #ffffe6; |260

|1.29%

|1.90%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.96%

|Total

|12,765

|13,964

|style='background: #ffffe6; |13,240

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 13,240 people, 4,628 households, and 2,283 families residing in the city. The median age was 31.5 years. 19.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 77.1 males age 18 and over.

99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,628 households in Orangeburg, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 24.5% were married-couple households, 22.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 48.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 2,268 || 17.1%

| Black or African American || 10,186 || 76.9%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 52 || 0.4%

| Asian || 279 || 2.1%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 15 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 140 || 1.1%

| Two or more races || 300 || 2.3%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 260 || 2.0%

2010 census

As of the census

{| class="wikitable"

! Crime

! Orangeburg, SC (2009)

! per 10,000 people

| Murder

| 1

| .75

| Rape

| 9

| 6.78

| Robbery

| 36

| 25.61

| Assault

| 35

| 26.36

| Burglary

| 232

| 174.73

| Automobile theft

| 65

| 48.95

| Arson

| 2

| 1.51

Education

Colleges and universities

Claflin University, founded in 1869, is the oldest historically black university in the state of South Carolina. In 2014 it was ranked by Washington Monthly as the top liberal arts college in the state and the top HBCU in the country.
South Carolina State University is a 4-year public historically Black institution in Orangeburg, founded in 1896.
Orangeburg–Calhoun Technical College is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate degrees.

Public schools

Orangeburg Consolidated School District Three
Consolidated School District Four
Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five
Orangeburg-Wilkinson Senior High School

Charter schools

OCSD5 High School for Health Professions
Felton Laboratory Charter School

Private schools

Orangeburg Preparatory Schools, Inc.
Orangeburg Christian Academy

Library

Orangeburg has a public library, a branch of the Orangeburg County Library.

Media

The Times and Democrat serves as the daily newspaper for the Orangeburg area.

Transportation

Terminals

Orangeburg Municipal Airport
Greyhound
Southeastern Stages

Highways

U.S. Route 301
U.S. Route 601
U.S. Route 21
U.S. Route 178
South Carolina Highway 4
South Carolina Highway 33
Interstate 26 (via Exits 145, 149 and 154)

Events and attractions

thumb|right|St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Orangeburg, South Carolina

Garden

The Edisto Memorial Gardens displays past and current award-winning roses from the All-American Rose Selections. Some 4,000 plants representing at least 75 labeled varieties of roses are always on display in the Gardens. The site was first developed in the 1920s with azaleas on of land. A playground was added in 1922, and a greenhouse and nursery facility in 1947. To extend the season of beauty, the first rose garden was planted in 1951. Currently, there are more than 50 beds of roses ranging from miniatures from grandiflora to climbers on over of land.

Museum

The IP Stanback Museum & Planetarium, named for the first African-American chairman of the university's board of trustees, Israel Pinkney Stanback, had its origin in the basement of the then South Carolina State College's library in the early 1970s. The Museum and Planetarium is located on the campus of South Carolina State University and signifies their commitment to community service. The Museum's exhibition area is one of the largest in the state. Its forty-foot planetarium dome, located across the foyer adjacent to the galleries, has an auditorium capacity of eighty-two seats and a Minolta IIB Planetarium Projector. The building is easily accessible to the handicapped and is a uniquely adaptable facility, capable of hosting many different types of presentations.

Festivals

The Orangeburg Festival of Roses began as a vision held by a group of citizens seeking a way to enhance the development of Orangeburg and improve the quality of life for its residents. As a result of that vision, the first festival was held in 1972. The Greater Orangeburg Chamber of Commerce was the sole sponsor of that first festival. At present the City of Orangeburg and the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsors of the event. The festival includes such events as a river race, a basscatcher tournament, the Princess of Roses pageant, and various sports tournaments.

During the winter in Orangeburg, more festivities get under way when raccoon hunters from throughout the Southeast gather for the Grand American Coon Hunt. The hunt, which takes place each year in early January, in the largest field trial for coon dogs in the United States and is a qualifying event for the World Coon Hunt.

Landmarks

The following notable buildings and districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

Alan Mack Site (38OR67)
All-Star Triangle Bowl
Amelia Street Historic District
Claflin College Historic District
Dixie Library Building
Donald Bruce House
Dukes Gymnasium
East Russell Street Area Historic District
Ellis Avenue Historic District
Enterprise Cotton Mills Building
F.H.W. Briggman House
Great Branch Teacherage
Hodge Hall
Hotel Eutaw
Lowman Hall, South Carolina State College
Maj. John Hammond Fordham House
Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church
Orangeburg City Cemetery
Orangeburg County Fair Main Exhibit Building
Orangeburg County Jail
Orangeburg Downtown Historic District
South Carolina State College Historic District
Tingley Memorial Hall, Claflin College
Treadwell Street Historic District
Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church
White House United Methodist Church
Whitman Street Area Historic District
William P. Stroman House
Williams Chapel A.M.E. Church

Notable people

Donnie Abraham, football player for East Tennessee State University, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets
Thomas G. Andrews, attorney and associate justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court
Alex Barron, Florida State tackle, drafted by the St. Louis Rams 19th overall in the 2005 NFL draft
Shelton Benjamin, professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling
Gloria Blackwell, educator and civil rights activist
Jim Clyburn, congressman, South Carolina State University alumnus, class of 1961
Choo-Choo Coleman, former baseball catcher for two teams
Monique Coleman, actress and singer
Angell Conwell, actress, born in Orangeburg
Bob Corker, U.S. senator from Tennessee
Don Covay, musician
Xzavion Curry, Major League Baseball player
Woodrow Dantzler, football player
Manish Dayal (born June 17, 1983), actor
Ralph B. Everett, president and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Abby Fisher (c. 1831–1915), one of the first African-American cookbook authors
Terry Guess, NFL wide receiver
Michael Hackett (born 1960), basketball player
Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina
Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and South Carolina Democratic Party
Deveron Harper, National Football League player
Dwayne Harper, professional football cornerback
Israel Hicks (1943–2010), stage director
Corinne Stocker Horton (1871–1947), elocutionist and journalist
Brad Hutto, minority leader of the South Carolina Senate
David Flavel Jamison, state politician and judge
Tim Jennings, University of Georgia cornerback
Brice Johnson, basketball star at the University of North Carolina
Xavier Johnson, American Greco-Roman wrestler
Maurice Kelly, NFL and CFL player
Mikki Moore, professional basketball player who has played for nine teams
Mike O'Cain, college football coach
Benjamin F. Payton (1932–2016), president of Tuskegee University 1981–2010
Walter Merritt Riggs (1873–1924), engineering professor, President of Clemson University
Curtis C. Robinson (1919–2009), former U.S. Army Air Force officer with the prodigious Tuskegee Airmen
Eugene Robinson (born 1955), op-ed columnist, The Washington Post
Rusty Russell, football player for several teams
John Jarvis Seabrook (1899–1975), theologian, Methodist pastor
Bakari Sellers, politician and CNN commentator
Mike Sharperson (1961–1996), Major League Baseball player for several teams
Dick Sheridan, college football coach
Shawnee Smith, actress and musician; born in Orangeburg
Steve Sonic, musician
Bill Spiers, Major League Baseball player for three teams
Archie Spigner, New York City Council member; born in Orangeburg
Cecil Williams, civil rights activist, author and inventor
Johnny Williams, jazz musician with the Count Basie Orchestra
Karen J. Williams, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Herm Winningham, Major League Baseball player and World Series champion