Orangeburg County (pop. 92,501), west of Clarendon County, contains much of the southern shore of Lake Marion.
It was named for William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau, and is the only Orangeburg County in the U.S.
The Dutch son-in-law of King George II
Orangeburg County is an important agricultural area; its major products are cotton, soybeans, and corn.
Cotton is about one-third of the county’s planted acreage.
The county seat is the city of Orangeburg (pop. 13,964).
Downtown’s Blue Bird Theater (1941) hosts the Orangeburg Part-Time Players (OPTP).
Orangeburg is the home of two historically black universities: Claflin University (1869) and South Carolina State University (1896).
In 1968, Orangeburg was the site of an incident in which three young men were shot and killed by Highway Patrol officers; the men were demonstrating against segregation at the city’s only bowling alley, located near the South Carolina State campus.
Monique Coleman, one of the stars of Disney’s “High School Musical” movies, was born in Orangeburg in 1980.
She played the role of “Taylor.”
The town of Bowman (pop. 968) has the UFO Welcome Center – a homemade, 42-foot-wide flying saucer in the back yard of a resident.
The Grand American Coon Hunt is held every year at the Orangeburg County Fairgrounds in Orangeburg.
The Super Bowl of Coon Hunt competitions
NEXT: BAMBERG COUNTY
