Colleton County
| Colleton County, South Carolina | |
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Colleton County Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of South Carolina |
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 South Carolina's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1800 |
| Named for | Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet |
| Seat | Walterboro |
| Largest city | Walterboro |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,133 sq mi (2,934 km2) |
| • Land | 1,056 sq mi (2,735 km2) |
| • Water | 77 sq mi (199 km2), 6.8% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 37,731 |
| • Density | 33/sq mi (13/km²) |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 6th |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
Colleton County is a county located in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, its population was 38,892. Its county seat is Walterboro. The county is named after Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet, one of the eight Lords Proprietor of the Province of Carolina. After two previous incarnations, the current Colleton County was created in 1800.
In 1682, Colleton was created as one of the three original proprietary counties, located in the southwestern coastal portion of the new South Carolina Colony and bordering on the Combahee River.
In 1706, the county was divided between the new Saint Bartholomew and Saint Paul parishes. This area was developed for large plantations devoted to rice and indigo cultivation as commodity crops. The planters depended on the labor of African slaves transported to Charleston for that purpose. In the coastal areas, black slaves soon outnumbered white colonists, as they did across the colony by 1708.
In 1734, most of the coastal portion of Saint Paul's Parish was separated to form the new Saint John's Colleton Parish. In 1769, the three parishes were absorbed into the Charleston Judicial District, the southwestern portion of which was referred to as Saint Bartholomew's.
In 1800, the new Colleton District was formed from the western half of the Charleston District. In 1816, it annexed a small portion of northwestern Charleston District.
In 1868, under the Reconstruction era new state constitution, South Carolina districts were reorganized as counties. Officials were to be elected by the resident voters rather than by state officials, as was done previously, thus giving more democratic power to local residents.
In 1897, the northeastern portion of the county was separated to form the new Dorchester County, with its seat at Saint George.
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