Community Profile

Pageland

Pageland was named in honor of Adolphus High “Captain Dolly” Page, the man responsible for bringing the Cheraw and Lancaster Railroad to the town.  In 1904, the railroad reached Pageland, which was then known as Blakeney’s Crossroads.  The arrival of the railroad sparked growth in the business community as well as the agriculture sector. Agriculture was the base of Pageland’s economy during the first part of the 20th century.  Cotton was a major cash crop.  Watermelons were also grown extensively and for many years, Pageland was known as the “Watermelon Capital of the World”.  Soybeans have since replaced watermelons as the major cash crop grown in the area but substantial numbers of watermelons are still produced.

Jefferson

The history of Jefferson is more the history of the Miller family.  In fact, many of its citizens are direct descendants of its first inhabitant, Michael Miller.  The first name for the community was Miller’s Mill.  It was later changed to Millerville.  The name Jefferson was suggested between 1870 and 1890 and was chosen when the town was incorporated in 1901.  That same year the Charlotte, Monroe and Columbia Railroad was chartered.  The railroad never expanded beyond Jefferson, as originally planned. In the late 1820′s, gold was discovered in the Jefferson area of Chesterfield County by a Mr. Burwell Brewer.  Mr. Brewer developed the Brewer Mine which reached its peak production in the 1830′s.  With the skyrocketed price of gold in the 1970′s and the new mining and processing techniques, Brewer Gold Mine has been revitalized as an important industrial segment of the town’s and county’s economy.  Typically, 20 to 30 tons of rock must be processed to extract one ounce of gold.

MT. Croghan

Mt. Croghan was named after a French officer of Revolutionary War fame, Major Croan.  On his way to Virginia, after the battle of Camden, he and his men camped on the hill overlooking the present town.  In 1809, Mt. Croghan was a voting precinct and had a post office.  In 1836, the first school, Elizabeth Academy, was built.  It was considered a prestigious high school which taught Latin, Violin, History, Geography, the three R’s and other subjects.  The town grew progressively until the destruction, which occurred during the march of General Sherman during the Civil War. In the early 1900′s Mt. Croghan was a growing farm town with 8 to 10 stores.  The Cheraw and Lancaster Railroad facilitated the transportation on merchant and farm goods.  A group of leading citizens applied for a Charter of Corporation in 1911, with 150 inhabitants shown in its declaration.