What students are saying about the college wide service project: Ben Garden Working on the Habitat House has been both a rewarding and enjoyable experience. It's amazing how much can be accomplished in such a short amount of time with a group of students and faculty working together for such a great cause. I would encourage everyone to spend a Friday or Saturday at the site helping to give a family their own home. > Read more student post

Nestled in the welcoming countryside of Upstate South Carolina, Laurens County enjoys a comfortable climate and an abundance of business and cultural opportunities. Here you'll find warm, friendly people who are ready to welcome your family into the community.

History of the county

The original inhabitants of Laurens County were the Cherokee Indians. The first known white settler to arrive in our area was John Duncan in 1754. He liked the lush vegetation and abundant wildlife he found in this area, and he settled along a creek in the northeastern section of the county, not far from the present City of Clinton.

The General Assembly passed an act on March 12, 1785, whereby six counties were to be established out of the old Ninety-Six District. Laurens County was one of those counties. The county of Laurens owes its beautiful location to John Rogers, Charles Allen, Jonathan Downes, and others who were deputized by the 14th and 51st regiments of South Carolina to lay a town.

Laurens County derived its name from a patriot, warrior, and statesman, the Honorable Henry Laurens of Charleston. Henry Laurens was president of the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War, and later served as an ambassador to France to secure aid in helping the colonies with their independence.

Scotch-Irish immigrants from The town of Laurens (known as Laurensville well into the 19th century) became the county seat and the first courthouse was erected in 1786. The current courthouse was built in 1840 and enlarged in 1857.

By 1820, Laurens had become known for its trade of tailor-made clothes. Andrew Johnson, a future president of the United States, and his brother came to Laurens in 1824 and established a tailor shop. By 1840, the area was booming with establishments, including medical practitioners, a fancy confectionery and fruit store, carriage, buggy and wagon shops, tailoring establishments, building contractors, flour and corn mills, and 81 registered whiskey distilleries.

No military action occurred in Laurens County during the Civil War though many native sons who went off to war became casualties of the conflict.

By the end of the 19th century, textiles were becoming very important in Laurens County and the upstate. The Laurens Cotton Mill was established in 1895. Mercer Silas Bailey built the first cotton mill in Clinton in 1896 and both Lydia Mill and Watts Mill were established in 1902. However, over the past decade, textiles have been displaced by a wide variety of industries.

Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia became the predominate settlers of the county.

For more information about the county and its charming towns, please visit the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce website.