Historical marker for former jail to be dedicated Nov. 13

DARLINGTON - A dedication ceremony for a state historical marker for the old Darlington County jail, now the home of the Darlington County Historical Commission offices, will take place at 1 p.m. Nov. 13 at the commission building at 204 Hewitt St., Darlington.

Tracy Power from the S.C. Department of Archives and History will be the guest speaker for the dedication.

The jail was built in 1937 at a cost of $60,000. It was designed by, architect Alfred D. Gilchrist. It was one of the most modern jails in the south, consisting of three floors and a basement.

After the jail closed in 1976, moving out of town, the building was used by EMS and then in 1984 it became headquarters for the Darlington County Historical Commission.

The commission was created in 1965 to maintain a county archives and research repository, as well as marking area historic sites. In the early years, all board members of the commission were appointed directly by the governor. Mrs. Clyde Dudley, T. E. Wilson and J. B. Blackman were the first board members appointed in 1965. After these, the governor continued appointing members through 1979 when by special legislation of the General Assembly the appointments became solely vested with Darlington County Council, effective, Jan. 1, 1980. C.K. Dunlap Jr. was the last board member appointed by the governor.

There have been many others down through the years appointed by county council. All of them were diligent workers who loved history and the task of gathering and preserving the old county records of Darlington County.

People from all over the United States visit the jail in search of relatives that lived in Darlington and moved on to different states. These people will stay several days, look up old family members and visit church and cemeteries. The records start about 1806 and go up to, in some cases, the 1950s. One of the earliest records used by many are the old Equity Records, dating back to the early 1800s when Darlington was not Darlington County but called the old Cheraw District. Three counties were then together making up the Cheraw District, which were Chesterfield, Marlboro, and Darlington.

The first grand opening of the Historical Commission was on Feb. 24, 1985.

The new marker tells the history and will also let all those that visit know how much the people of Darlington value their records by wanting to preserve them in such a well built, climate controlled building.

“In many parts of the building, you can still see that it was an old jail,” said Doris Gandy, director of the commission. “You will enjoy walking back through history by the different pictures on all the walls. Much thanks to all Darlington County citizens for preserving the past so their future generations can uses such a valuable resource.”

For additional information, call the commission at (843) 398-4710.