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The Town of Santee, located in Orangeburg County, was officially chartered over 70 years ago on April 22, 1949. The town’s first mayor, Jimmy Smith, was elected in 1949 and didn’t vacate his office until 1972. Unfortunately, there are no minutes documenting any town meetings during the first 22 years of its existence. Mayor Donnie Hilliard has served as Santee's current mayor for the past eight years.
With the advent of the automobile in the early part of the 1900's, increased pressure grew to provide for more convenient and passable roadways across the state. In 1927, a bridge was built over 'the river' between the towns of Summerton and Santee. This led to the subsequent intersection of US 301 and SC 15 with SC Highway 6, laying the groundwork for the growth of the crossroads community of Santee.
Back in the late 1940's, Santee was just a crossroad with two or three restaurants and some stores. Because a lot of folks from the North were coming through on their way South, it was not long before a number of small motels started to be built along Highways 301 and 15, and beautiful Lake Marion. This was long before Interstate I-95 was constructed.
Back in those times, the town didn’t have the right to sell alcohol to travelers. In order to be able to sell alcohol in South Carolina back then, you had to be an incorporated community. So the local hotel, restaurant, and store owners got together and petitioned to officially incorporate the Town of Santee, so they could sell alcohol to visitors. The rest is history.
Up through the 1950's, the primary occupation in the Santee area was farming. It wasn't until the 1960s that Santee began to give serious attention to the potential economic impact of travel and tourism on the town's future. By the early 1970s, in anticipation of the opening of I-95 running through Santee, new motels, restaurants and businesses had begun to be built along the SC 6 corridor.
In the mid-1970s the town government and its local business leaders started working together to secure federal funds to plan for and install central water and sewer systems. Bringing in central water and sewer, along with the completion of the I-95 bridge span across Lake Marion signaled a new era of growth and development for the Santee community.
Though its now a far cry from the little crossroads community that it was in the early 1940's, Santee still maintains its small town feel, while proudly focusing on its new motto as an 'Oasis of Recreation' on the banks of Lake Marion. Today visitors come to play golf, boat, fish, camp, hike, and observe the abundant wildlife inhabiting the area.
The following are some notable residents of Santee - Past and Present:
Dolph Overton - Instrumental in the development of Rings & Wheels, Bradford Village, and the Food Lion Shopping Center.
Mrs. Maude Mims owned the first tourist court, general store, and meat market in Santee.
Farklin Goodwin served as mayor from 1982-1998. During his tenure, the Town of Santee expanded its boundaries and its water system, as well as planning the new Town Hall complex..
Silas Seabrooks became the first African-American mayor in South Carolina. During his first term, local community leaders worked together to secure federal grants and loans for the town's water and sewer systems. He served as mayor until 1982 and returned to office as mayor in 1998.
The Santee Rifles were organized back in 1890, a company of state troops active in the Elloree-Santee area. It was one of the older military companies of the State.
Jimmy N. Smith was Santee's first mayor, serving from 1949 to 1972.
Bob and Cookie Metzendorf were owners of the Gamecock Motel and Restaurant, one of the earliest facilities in Santee for interstate travelers.
Joseph Oliver Tobul was a Korean War Marine hero,He flew Navy Corsair fighter planes.
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Orangeburg County has a rich and varied history. The area was first settled in 1704 by an Indian trader named George Sterling. In 1730 a six square mile township, one of nine in the state, was formed by the General Assembly of the Province of South Carolina. The purpose of the townships was to provide land to poor immigrants, and in 1735 a colony of 220 German-Swiss and Rhineland German immigrants settled in the township of Orangeburg on the banks of the North Edisto River.
The river gave the early settlers access to the port of Charleston and also provided fertile land for farming. The township was originally named Orangeburgh after the Prince of Orange, son-in-law of King George II of England. Orangeburgh District, one of seven court districts, was established in 1769 and was declared a county in 1868. It was then the 'h' in Orangeburgh was dropped.
Orangeburg County is the site of several Revolutionary skirmishes, all of which took place in 1781. The bloodiest battle was in September 1781 at Eutaw Springs; this was the last major Revolutionary engagement in South Carolina. Both the British and the Continental troops claimed victory in the battle, although with the British losing 683 soldiers and the Americans losing 517 soldiers, the toll was severe for both sides. Other notable skirmishes that year include the Battle of Orangeburgh, the Battle of Fort Motte and the Battle of Thomson's Plantation.
Religion played an important role in Orangeburg's beginning. The first church of Orangeburg was of Lutheran denomination and later became the Episcopal Church. Immigrants of the Protestant and newly formed Methodist faith were also among those who first settled in Orangeburg County.
Below is a listing of some of the historic area churches:
Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1879 and it's located on SC Route 6. Services were first held under a bush arbor until a frame building was built in 1885. The church was destroyed by fire in 1964, and the congregation met in a tent until the church could be rebuilt.
Jerusalum Methodist Church was organized back in 1813. It is located on SC Route 6 between Santee and Elloree.
Parlerville A.M.E. Church was organized circa 1893, It is located off the State Park Road.
Mt. Hebron Baptist Church was organized in 1908 and is located between Elloree and Santee.
It appears the most complete history of the town can be found in the book “Cotton Fields to Golf Courses – A Pictorial History of Elloree and Santee.” written by members of the Garden Club in nearby Elloree.
* Read the Orangeburg T&D Newspaper article "Santee to Celebrate 70th Birthday". Also check out the Town of Santee 2018 Comprehensive Plan,
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