Marlboro County

Marlboro County, South Carolina
Marlboro County Courthouse, Bennettsville
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location in the U.S.
Founded	1785
Named for	John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
Seat	Bennettsville
Largest city	Bennettsville
Area
• Total	485 sq mi (1,256 km2)
• Land	480 sq mi (1,243 km2)
• Water	5.6 sq mi (15 km2), 1.2%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	27,494
• Density	60/sq mi (23/km²)
Congressional district	7th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.marlborocounty.sc.gov

Marlboro County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census recorded its population to be 28,933. Its county seat is Bennettsville. The Great Pee Dee River runs through it.

Marlboro County comprises the Bennettsville, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Among its residents are the state-recognized Pee Dee Tribe of South Carolina (2006) and the Pee Dee Indian Nation of Upper South Carolina (2005). The first is based in McColl as is the Marlboro, Chesterfield, Darlington County Pee Dee Indian Tribe, which separated from the second listed Pee Dee tribe. Nearly 5% of the county population identify as Pee Dee people.

Succeeding indigenous peoples occupied this area for thousands of years. At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area were the historic Pee Dee. Some had moved into this area from the Lowcountry as a result of colonial pressures along the coast. They are believed to have spoken either a Siouan language, as did tribes in the Piedmont, or one of the Algonquian languages family, which were common among coastal peoples. Descendants identifying as Pee Dee still live in the county and region. More recent research suggests they were based in this area, as part of a group called the South Appalachian Mississippian culture.

The first European colonists to arrive in the area were Welsh settlers, part of the British Isles colonists, migrating south from Pennsylvania. In 1737, they established the first European-American settlement, called Welsh Neck.; these original settlers organized a Baptist church in January 1738.

On 12 March 1785, Marlboro County was established by law. It was named for the Duke of Marlborough. The first courthouse was near the Great Pee Dee River, just North of Crooked Creek, in a village called Carlisle, named for Richard Carlisle. In an effort to provide a more central location for the courthouse, the state legislature created the new county seat of Bennettsville, founded in 1819. A Robert Mills-designed courthouse was selected to be built. Construction began in 1820 and was completed in 1824. It was replaced in the later 19th century, and the second courthouse was expanded and renovated in 1953-1954.