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Bennettsville, South Carolina

Bennettsville, South Carolina
City
The Marlboro County courthouse
The Marlboro County courthouse
Location of Bennettsville inSouth Carolina
Location of Bennettsville in
South Carolina
Coordinates: 34°37′17″N 79°41′5″W / 34.62139°N 79.68472°W / 34.62139; -79.68472Coordinates: 34°37′17″N 79°41′5″W / 34.62139°N 79.68472°W / 34.62139; -79.68472
Country United States
State South Carolina
County Marlboro
Government
 • Mayor Johnathan Heath Harpe
Area
 • Total 6.2 sq mi (16.1 km2)
 • Land 5.6 sq mi (14.5 km2)
 • Water 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2)
Elevation 157 ft (48 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 9,425
 • Density 675/sq mi (260.7/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 29512
Area code(s) 843
FIPS code 45-05680
GNIS feature ID 1246743
Website www.bennettsvillesc.com/

Bennettsville is a city located in the U.S. state of South Carolina on the Great Pee Dee River. As the county seat of Marlboro County, Bennettsville is noted for its historic homes and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries — and the Bennettsville Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the 2000 census, Bennettsville has a population of 9,425.

Bennettsville is located at 34°37′17″N 79°41′5″W / 34.62139°N 79.68472°W / 34.62139; -79.68472 (34.621270, -79.684830).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16 km2), of which, 5.6 square miles (15 km2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) of it (10.13%) is water.

The city of Bennettsville was founded in 1819 on the Great Pee Dee River and named after Thomas Bennett, Jr., then governor of South Carolina. The area was developed for short-staple cotton cultivation, dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans. Many were brought to the upland area from the Lowcountry, carrying their Gullah culture with them. Others were transported from the Upper South by slave traders. This shift to cotton cultivation in the uplands was based on the development of the cotton gin, which made short-staple cotton, cotton with relatively short fibers, profitable. The advent of the gin in turn led to development of large cotton plantations throughout the Deep South.


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