Fairfield County, South Carolina
| Fairfield County, South Carolina | |
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Fairfield 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 | 1785 |
| Seat | Winnsboro |
| Largest town | Winnsboro |
| Area | |
| • Total | 710 sq mi (1,839 km2) |
| • Land | 686 sq mi (1,777 km2) |
| • Water | 24 sq mi (62 km2), 3.3% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2015) | 22,747 |
| • Density | 35/sq mi (14/km²) |
| Congressional district | 5th |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | www |
Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, its population was 23,956. Its county seat is Winnsboro.
Fairfield County is part of the Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
It is alleged that the county name originated from a statement made by General Cornwallis when he declared "How Fair These Fields" during the British occupation of the area in 1780-81. The house Cornwallis stayed in during the occupation is still standing.
Several years before the Revolution, Richard Winn from Virginia moved to what is now called Fairfield County. His lands covered the present site of Winnsboro, and as early as 1777 the settlement was known as "Winnsborough".
The village was laid out and chartered in 1785 upon petition of Richard Winn, John Winn and John Vanderhorst. John, Richard, and Minor Winn all served in the Revolutionary War. Richard was a General and he is said to have fought in more battles than any Whig in South Carolina.
Fairfield County has numerous churches, some of which have existed for over 200 years. Perhaps the most famous church, built in 1788, is the Old Brick Church, where the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Synod of the Carolinas was organized in 1803. A note penciled on the wall of the Old Brick Church is testimony to a Union soldier's regret at the church's floor boards being taken up to build a crossing over the nearby river for General Sherman's troops during the American Civil War.
The early settlers in the mid-18th century brought cotton to the county. It was soon supported as a commodity crop by the labor of enslaved African Americans.
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Wikipedia