Blackville, South Carolina Explained

Official Name:Blackville, South Carolina
Settlement Type:Town
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:South Carolina
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Barnwell
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:23.40
Area Land Km2:23.13
Area Water Km2:0.26
Area Total Sq Mi:9.03
Area Land Sq Mi:8.93
Area Water Sq Mi:0.10
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:1923
Population Density Km2:83.12
Population Density Sq Mi:215.29
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Ft:292
Coordinates:33.3569°N -81.2728°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:29817
Area Codes:803, 839
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:45-06490[2]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1246909

Blackville is a small town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,406 at the 2010 census.[3]

The town was named after Alexander Black, a railroad promoter.[4]

History

On December 22, 1781, a band of British Loyalists fought with a group of local Patriots two miles north of Blackville. The location, called Windy Hill at that time, is slightly east of the present-day Healing Springs Park and Church. The commanding officer was Captain Benjamin Odom, Jr. who was a member of Colonel William Harden's regiment. Sixteen Patriots were killed. Major “Bloody Bill” Cunningham was believed to be the commander of the Tory company. The area was known for many years as "Slaughter Hill".

Longtime state representative Solomon Blatt, Sr. was born in Blackville.

Geography

Blackville is located in northeastern Barnwell County at 33.3569°N -81.2728°W (33.357078, -81.272649).[5] U.S. Route 78 passes through the town, leading west to Aiken and east to Bamberg. South Carolina Highway 3 leads southwest 9miles to Barnwell, the county seat.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Blackville has a total area of 23.4km2, of which 23.1km2 is land and 0.3km2, or 1.13%, is water.[3]

Demographics

2020 census

Blackville racial composition[6] !Race!Num.!Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)25013.0%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)1,58382.32%
Native American90.47%
Asian60.31%
Other/Mixed442.29%
Hispanic or Latino311.61%
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,923 people, 758 households, and 432 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,973 people, 1,145 households, and 800 families residing in the town. The population density was 324.7sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,332 housing units at an average density of 145.5sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 23.65% White, 75.61% Black, 0.07% Indian, 0.20% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.03% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.

There were 1,145 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,316, and the median income for a family was $28,537. Males had a median income of $25,150 versus $20,742 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,881. About 27.0% of families and 29.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.6% of those under age 18 and 28.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Education facilities in Blackville include Macedonia Elementary School, Blackville-Hilda Junior High School, Blackville-Hilda High School, Jefferson Davis Academy, Calvary Fellowship Mennonite, Bamberg/Barnwell County Adult Education, and Barnwell Christian School.

Blackville has a public library, a branch of the ABBE Regional Library System.[7]

Historic landmarks

God's Acre Healing Springs is a small patch of land whose legal owner is "God Almighty". The land includes a natural spring whose water local tradition holds has healing powers.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. October 15, 2022.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  3. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Blackville town, South Carolina. https://archive.today/20200212204022/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US4506490. dead. February 12, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. April 3, 2014.
  4. Book: Federal Writers' Project. Federal Writers' Project. Palmetto Place Names. 1941. Sloane Printing Co.. 26.
  5. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  6. Web site: Explore Census Data. December 14, 2021. data.census.gov.
  7. Web site: South Carolina libraries and archives . SCIWAY . June 7, 2019.
  8. Web site: God's Acre Healing Springs. Historic Marker Database. August 16, 2012.