Our History...

Step back in time...

The Lexington County Museum, located at 231 Fox Street in downtown Lexington, offers a rare and unforgettable experience – the chance to see and touch a way of life gone forever.  The Museum interprets and exhibits historic structures and artifacts that tell the story of everyday life for Lexington County citizens in the colonial and antebellum period and contains many everyday items people used in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Museum features over 30 historic structures on seven acres.  Some of these include the Leaphart/Harman house, built around 1790; the Corley Cabin, the oldest documented building in Lexington; the Ernest Hazelius House, where the traditional song "Give Me That Old Time Religion" was composed, and the two story-John Fox House, built in 1832.  It is furnished with period pieces from Lexington County that show how an upper class home would have been decorated around the mid-nineteenth century.             

The Museum serves as an invaluable educational tool by promoting the county's history and attracting school groups. The Museum offers thirteen hands-on tours to school groups for free.  To find out more, please call 803-359-8369 or visit http://www.lex-co.com/museum/. 

The little town that doesn’t know how to stop growing

This brief history of Lexington was adapted from the on-line Wikipedia encyclopedia as published in the Lexington County Chronicle & The Dispatch News, Thursday, October 21, 2010.

This historic town of Lexington, South Carolina, is a direct descendant of the old Royal township of Saxe Gotha.

This town was one of the 11 established in 1735 by the Colonial government of King George II to encourage settlers of backcountry South Carolina.  It served as a protective buffer between powerful Indian tribes to the west and older settled plantations of the Lowcountry.

The name Saxe Gotha was given in honor of the marriage of King’s son, Fredrick Louis Prince of Wales, to Princess Augusta of the German Duchy of Saxe Gotha.  The couple became the parents of King George III of England.

Indians slept here
The territory of colonial Saxe Gotha covered most of present day Lexington County and was traversed by two important early Indian trails. The Cherokee Path followed roughly modern U.S. 378 and the Occaneechi Path today’s U.S. 1.  These ancient trading paths and the highways that later developed from them have had an enormous impact on historical development.

Most of the early settlers came from Germany and Switzerland.  Others came south from Pennsylvania and Virginia. 

Despite the disruptive Cherokee Indian War of 1760 and the “Regulator” unrest that followed, the town flourished as a largely self-sufficient area of small scale farms.  Major crops in the 18th Century included corn, wheat, tobacco, hemp, flax, beeswax and livestock.

During the American Revolution, several skirmishes occurred here.  The Battle of the Tarrar Springs was fought just one mile east of Lexington on November 16, 1781.

In 1785, Lexington County was established, changing the name from Saxe Gotha to Lexington in honor of the Massachusetts Revolutionary War battle.

The county’s first courthouse was build at Granby, located just south of present day Cayce.  From 1800 to 1868, the county was organized as a district with the same name.

With the clearing of upriver lands for spreading cotton culture, Granby became plagued with floods.  The district seat was moved in 1829 when the present town of Lexington was laid out on a high, healthy sandy ridge near Twelve Mile Creek.

The town was known as Lexington Courthouse throughout the 19th Century since in the first few years of its existence there was only the courthouse with few residences.

By 1861, when it was incorporated as a town, Lexington boasted a diverse population of lawyers, physicians, trades people, artisans and farmers. There were two churches, several schools, a carriage factory, a saw and gristmill, a tannery livestock yard, tin and blacksmiths and a weekly newspaper, the Lexington Flag. The major crops were mainly cotton, corn, sweet potatoes and lumber.

Lexington was not a marketing center for these staples but served as a retail market for manufactured goods purchased wholesale by merchants in nearby Columbia.

In 1865 the town was virtually destroyed by occupying Union Army forces guarding General Sherman’s western flank. The courthouse, district jail and St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church were put to torch as were most businesses and homes.

Today Lexington is a thriving, community of more than 40,000 residents in its retail trading area.  It is growing rapidly north to Lake Murray, south to Red Bank, west to Gilbert and east toward Columbia.

Local officials hope the in-town population is the 2010 census will top 20,000, brining federal census money with it and more prosperity.

Visiting Lexington

Lexington County is nestled deep in the heart of central South Carolina.  Here we know no visitors; we only welcome "new friends."  Lexington County is strategically located for visitors and businesses alike. Interstate 77 to Charlotte, North Carolina begins in Lexington County. Interstate 20 provides access to Augusta and Atlanta, Georgia metropolitan area, and Interstate 26 provides access to South Carolina's Upstate region, the Appalachian Mountains, an Tennessee. The modern Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE), which serves the central Midlands of South Carolina, is located in Lexington.

We are Growing

Lexington County is considered to be the fastest growing area in South Carolina with the best school districts in the state.  Lexington County is well known for its 45-mile long Lake Murray with more than 500 miles of shoreline and some of the best fishing in the country.  Lexington County is home to  campus Midlands Technical College, one of the largest Technical Colleges in the State, and within commuting distance to the University of South Carolina and it's internationally renowned Moore School of Business.  Our dynamic economy boasts friendly people, excellent schools, theaters, parks, golfing and museums of South Carolina.  This winning combination makes Lexington County the best place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

The County Seat

The Town of Lexington is the county seat of Lexington County.  Founded in the early 1800's, the Town retains much of its century-old charm but with modern-day conveniences.  Named a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Society for its abundance of trees and award-winning public parks, the Town of Lexington is perhaps the fastest growing municipality in Lexington County.

We hope you enjoy your virtual tour of beautiful Lexington County.  Whether you are planning a visit or relocating,  let the Great Lexington Chamber and Visitor's Center assist you with your trip, your move, or your next meeting.