Alcolu, South Carolina
Alcolu, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
  Alcolu Location within South Carolina  Alcolu Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 33°45′04″N 80°12′51″W / 33.75111°N 80.21417°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Clarendon |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.57 sq mi (11.84 km2) |
| • Land | 4.55 sq mi (11.78 km2) |
| • Water | 0.023 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Elevation | 125 ft (38 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 402 |
| • Density | 88.4/sq mi (34.12/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 29001 |
| Area codes | 803, 839 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2629817[2] |
Alcolu is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 402.[3] Alcolu has a post office with ZIP code 29001, which opened on August 17, 1888.[4][5] It developed as a lumber and mill town.
History
Early history
Alcolu was established between 1885 and 1890 by D.W. Alderman as a company mill town for his timber company and lumber mill.[6] The name Alcolu is derived from "AL" for Alderman, "CO" for Coldwell, a friend and brother-in-law, and "LU" for Lula, Alderman's daughter.[6]
When it was built, Alcolu was a company town where many residents worked for businesses operated by D.W. Alderman & Sons. The business grew to include logging operations, a saw mill, planing mill, hosiery mill, flooring mill, farming, cattle ranching, a cotton gin, hotel, company store, and other businesses. Over time, the company helped found schools and churches, and built baseball fields, an electric plant, and a telephone system for the town. D.W. Alderman also founded the Alcolu and Paroda railroads and built the Alcolu railroad depot. The Alcolu Post Office was established on August 17, 1888, and Algernon Coldwell was appointed as its first postmaster.[6]
Company employees were paid in "babbits", metal coins stamped with an "A", which could be used only in the company store.[6] In 1919, the company opened the "Alderman 20 Stores in One" in nearby Manning, South Carolina. It was one of the first department stores in South Carolina and was described as having the first elevator in town.[6]
George Stinney case
On March 22, 1944, two white girls, 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames, were murdered in Alcolu. George Stinney, a 14-year-old black boy, was convicted of their murders and became the youngest person with an exact birth date confirmed to be executed in the United States in the 20th century.[7] Stinney's murder conviction was posthumously vacated in 2014, with Judge Carmen Mullen finding that he had not received a fair trial.[8][9]
Post-war history
In 1947, the Alderman family sold the lumber mill to the Southern Coatings & Chemical Company and the Williams Furniture Company.[6] They were bought in 1968 by Georgia-Pacific. Georgia-Pacific continued its operations in Alcolu until 2000, when the mill closed.[6] According to the 2020 census, Alcolu had a population of 402 people.[3]
Geography
Alcolu is located in northern Clarendon County, 4 miles (6 km) north of Manning, the county seat. The southern edge of the CDP follows Interstate 95, which provides access at Exit 122. I-95 leads northeast 44 miles (71 km) to Florence and southwest 24 miles (39 km) to Santee. U.S. Route 521 runs through Alcolu, leading south to Manning and northwest 16 miles (26 km) to Sumter.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Alcolu CDP has a total area of 4.57 square miles (11.84 km2), of which 4.55 square miles (11.78 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.06 km2), or 0.47%, is water.[10]
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 429 | — | |
| 2020 | 402 | −6.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] | |||
Education
The school district is Clarendon School District 2.[12]
Notable people
- Pressley Harvin III, punter for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2021–23).
- George Stinney Jr., African-American teenager who was wrongfully convicted and executed.
References
- ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Alcolu, South Carolina
- 1 2 3 "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ↑ United States Postal Service (2012). "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Postmaster Finder - Post Offices by ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Alcolu Archives". South Carolina Picture Project. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ McVeigh, Karen (March 22, 2014). "George Stinney was executed at 14. Can his family now clear his name?". The Observer. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ↑ "South Carolina Vacates the Conviction of 14-Year-Old Executed in 1944". Death Penalty Information Center. December 18, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Alcolu CDP, South Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Clarendon County, SC" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 24, 2024. - Text list
- U.S. Geological Survey. Best Practices National Structures Dataset. https://web.archive.org/web/20090825115836/http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov/. 30-Jul-2008.
Municipalities and communities of Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||