St. Matthews is a town in Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,841 at the 2020 census, It is the county seat of Calhoun County.

St. Matthews is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The town holds an annual Purple Martin festival in April which includes food, music, cars, and more.

History

St. Matthews was established as the township of Amelia by Gov. Robert Johnson in the 1730s. The Col. J.A. Banks House, Buyck's Bluff Archeological Site, Calhoun County Courthouse, Calhoun County Library, Cherokee Path, Sterling Land Grant, Col. Olin M. Dantzler House, David Houser House, Prehistoric Indian Village, and Puritan Farm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

St. Matthews is located in the center of Calhoun County. U.S. Route 601 passes through the town, leading northeast to Camden and southwest to Orangeburg. South Carolina Highway 6 crosses US 601 in the center of town and leads west to Interstate 26 and southeast to Interstate 95 near Santee.

According to the United States Census Bureau, St. Matthews has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.35%, is water.

Calhoun Academy, a school founded as a segregation academy, remains a private institution.

St. Matthews has a lending library, the Calhoun County Public Library.

St. Matthews is home to the Calhoun County Museum, on Butler Street, which is run and directed by Mrs. Roland. The Museum houses countless artifacts and stories of St. Matthews history and character.

Notable people

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  • Mike Colter, actor
  • Viola Davis, Academy Award-winning actress
  • Clarence Felder, actor
  • Caleb Ginyard, singer, songwriter
  • Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) and (former) University of South Carolina wide receiver
  • Eartha Kitt, singer, actress, dancer and activist
  • Ludwig Lewisohn, writer, critic and poet
  • Phillip Merling, Miami Dolphins defensive end in the NFL
  • Harry L. Ott Jr., South Carolina House Representative
  • Horace Ott, musician, orchestral conductor and songwriter
  • Russell Ott, South Carolina House Representative and lobbyist
  • James "Blood" Ulmer, jazz and blues guitarist
  • Othniel Wienges, politician and horse breeder

Demographics

2020 census

{| class="wikitable"

|+St. Matthews racial composition

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White (non-Hispanic)

|655

|35.58%

|-

|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|1,068

|58.01%

|-

|Native American

|7

|0.38%

|-

|Asian

|7

|0.38%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|52

|2.82%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|52

|2.82%

|}

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,841 people, 943 households, and 531 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census