According to a nearby historical marker, the land used for the courthouse was donated in 1912 by Charles Perry – a local farmer, lumberman, and merchant. Today, a World War I memorial and a flagpole also sit on the grounds. The Jasper County Courthouse is listed in the National Historic Register.

SCIWAY thanks Stephen Brenton of Ladson, who took this great picture in November 2011.

Get more information about the Jasper County Courthouse and its services.

Grahamville, which is less than a mile from Ridgeland, started out like many South Carolina small towns as just a village after the Revolutionary War. This area of our state is known as the ‘land of the Euhaws’ or ‘Indian Lands’ after native Indian tribes who once lived there.

Euhaw Church was very influential in the formative years of the Southern Baptist, and is the mother church to many area churches. The first president of the Southern Baptist Convention, William B. Johnson, was ordained at the Euhaw Church and even ministered there for three years.

When the Civil War broke out, Grahamville male residents left to fight and worship at the church was halted. Union troops who marched through the village set fire to most of the town including the original Euhaw Church. The church was rebuilt in 1905, but Grahamville never fully recovered from the destruction left behind. A railroad station was built in Ridgeland and Grahamville became just a rural community.

The old sanctuary that stands today was built in 1905 and is still used for special occasions. A new, more modern building built in 1985 is where worship is held regularly.

Many thanks to Mike Stroud of Bluffton for submitting this photo he took in October 2010.

The Charleston and Savannah Railroad was completed in the mid 1800s, and a train depot was established in the Ridgeland area. The town was originally called Gopher Hill because of abundance of the gopher tortoises in the area. However, many people felt that Gopher Hill was not an appropriate name for such a popular train depot. The town was renamed Ridgeland, because the depot was built on the highest ridge between Charleston and Savannah.

SCIWAY thanks Michael Stroud of Bluffton for submitting this picture he took in June 2008.

The Coosa tribe was a subtribe of the Cusabo, which loosely translates as Coosawatchie River people. Unfortunately, the Cusabo and its subtribes are now extinct. During the late 1600s and early 1700s, they suffered attacks by both colonists and the fierce Yuchi tribe. The enslavement of Indians was also officially sanctioned during this time, and many Cusabo were sold to plantations in the West Indies. By 1750 the Cusabo no longer existed as a distinct tribe, and it is commonly believed that its members merged with the Catawbas or the Creek of Georgia.

Altogether, the Coosawhatchie River flows through four South Carolina counties: Allendale, Hampton, Jasper, and Beaufort. The areas surrounding the river were home to several Civil War and American Revolution battles, including the Battle of Coosawhatchie in 1779.

Many thanks to Lamar Nix for sharing this photo he took during a low tide sunrise in 2010.

During the early days of the American colonies, a proper legal education included study in England. Thomas Heyward followed this route and afterward, spent several additional years touring and living abroad. There he gained a deeper understanding of European history, culture, and government. Ultimately, Heyward decided he admired American simplicity and ingenuity over what he deemed European haughtiness and dependence on luxury. He returned home with a desire to use his education and life experience to benefit his local community and country.

Heyward started his own law practice but in 1775 was appointed to fill a vacancy in the US House of Representatives. He almost immediately became active in the growing movement to establish an independent government and nation. During the resulting Revolutionary War, he completed his term in Congress and returned to South Carolina to work first as a criminal court judge, and then as a battalion commander in the Army. At the end of the war, he participated in the convention that crafted South Carolina’s constitution, but otherwise devoted himself to legal rather than political affairs.

The Heyward family remained prominent in South Carolina. One of Thomas Heyward’s daughters married Major James Hamilton, who served as a South Carolina congressman, a US representative, mayor of the city of Charleston, and governor of South Carolina between 1830 and 1832. A niece married William Drayton, who also served as a state and US congressman, ultimately becoming the president of the US Bank in 1841. A later Heyward descendant, Duncan Clinch Heyward, served as Governor of the state between 1903 and 1907. In 1935, descendant Debose Heyward distinguished himself in the world of art when his novel Porgy was adapted by George Gershwin into the opera Porgy and Bess.

Gillisonville Baptist Church was built in 1838 and is listed on the National Register of historic places. It was constructed by local craftsmen and still has many of its original features like boxed pews, random width flooring, and a slave balcony in back.

Michael Stroud of Bluffton took this picture in January 2008.

See a map of Gillisonville

He writes: “Roseland Plantation near Coosawhatchie was purchased in 1782 by David Huguenin, a descendant of Outhenyn chiez Huguenin, after it was confiscated from a Tory Baron named John Rose. Roseland has been home to descendants of David until the present day. The oak trees in the picture are near the Huguenin family cemetery, which dates back to the 1790s.”