Walterboro

Experience life, Walterboro Style!

Walterboro and Colleton County offer the beauty of abundant natural resources mixed with the cultural heritage and friendliness of an historic small town.

During the summer of 1784, owners of large rice plantations in what is now Colleton County began searching for a better location for their summer homes. They chose the most ideal spot in the area and named it Hickory Valley.

This small summer retreat grew and eventually took the name of two of its original settlers, Paul and Jacob Walters. In 1817, the City of Walterboro became the county seat and was officially incorporated in 1826.

Much of the grace and charm of the lifestyle of these early settlers can still be found in Walterboro today. The City abounds with fine examples of their architecture, including structures that are noted on the National Register of Historic Places. Passing along the quiet, tree-lined streets of Walterboro’s residential neighborhoods, one almost expects to catch glimpses of its earliest residents relaxing on the broad porches or strolling among the gardens. Ancient, moss-draped live oak trees shade streets lined with quaint houses and churches.

Our quality of life is enhanced by the availability of golf, tennis, and specialty and antique shops located in the central business district. We have an active cultural arts community, which includes a community theater, a cultural arts council and the official South Carolina Artisans Center with fine folk art and crafts. The SC Artisans Center is a retail outlet for juried South Carolina artists. Its educational programs and craft demonstrations provide a cultural and educational resource for the state and a one-of-a-kind attraction for visitors. There are also many fine restaurants in Walterboro.

For nature enthusiasts, the ACE Basin offers wildlife watching, camping, fishing, swimming, boating, canoeing, and hunting. The Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto River (ACE) Basin represents one of the largest undeveloped estuaries on the East Coast of the United States.

The Basin consists of approximately 350,000 acres of diverse habitats, forested wetlands, fresh, brackish and salt-water tidal marshes, barrier islands and beaches. The ACE Basin hosts a wealth of wildlife resources, including such endangered and threatened species as the bald eagle, woodstork, osprey, loggerhead sea turtle and short-nose sturgeon.

When you visit Walterboro, you will discover the heritage that distinguishes our quality of living, the natural resources that refresh the spirit and body and above all the friendly hometown atmosphere that epitomizes southern hospitality.

The Colleton County Courthouse was completed in the fall of 1822. The outside walls are three bricks (28″) thick. The first nullification meeting in South Carolina was held here in 1828, when Robert Barnwell Rhett called for the immediate secession of the state legislature in protest of Federal tax laws. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary contains over 800 acres of braided creek and  hardwood flats. The sanctuary offers an asphalt bike and walking trail, a canoe and kayak-looped  trail, a beaver pond, a duck pond, a butterfly garden, wildlife food plots and feeding stations. Bridges, boardwalks, and a natural walking trail,  including a portion of Charleston to Savannah Wagon/Stagecoach Road.  The Walterboro Wildlife Center is an interpretive exhibit hall showcasing the plant and animal life that is present in the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary and throughout the Lowcountry.

The ruins of Pon Pon Chapel are situated on what was once the Parker’s Ferry Road, 1 mile from SC 64. One of two chapels of ease established by an Act of the General Assembly in 1725 to serve St. Bartholomew’s Parish. This chapel burned in 1801 & 1832. It was known as Burnt Church after 1832. The ruins today are enough to distinguish the chapel’s gracious features.

The Westvaco Nature Trail can be found in Jacksonboro. In addition to local flora and fauna, see historical landmarks such as the King’s Highway, (dating from the 1700’s) former rice fields, and an old phosphate plant site.