Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina
Town
Nicknames: B-L, BB-LV, The Twin Cities
Location of Batesburg-Leesville within South Carolina.
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Counties	Lexington, Saluda
Area
• Total	8.29 sq mi (21.48 km²)
• Land	8.20 sq mi (21.23 km²)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.26 km²)
Elevation	643 ft (196 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	5,270
• Density	643.08/sq mi (248.28/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	29006, 29070
Area codes	803, 839
FIPS code	45-04300
GNIS feature ID	1692657

Batesburg-Leesville is a town in South Carolina, USA. It's located in parts of Lexington and Saluda counties. In 2020, about 5,270 people lived there.

History of Batesburg-Leesville

The town of Batesburg-Leesville was created in 1992. This happened when two nearby towns, Batesburg and Leesville, joined together. The first mayor of the new town was Dr. Elza S. "Sandy" Spradley, Jr. He had been the last mayor of Batesburg.

Batesburg was named after Captain Tom Bates. He was an important person in the community and a captain in the American Civil War. Leesville got its name from Colonel John W. Lee, another important resident.

Important Historical Events

In February 1946, a serious event happened in Batesburg. Sergeant Isaac Woodard, a black World War II veteran, was hurt by local police officers. This incident caused him to lose his eyesight permanently.

Because of this, President Harry S. Truman ordered a federal investigation. This event helped lead to new civil rights efforts at the national level. President Truman later worked to end segregation in the armed forces and federal government.

In 2018, the town of Batesburg-Leesville reopened the Woodard case. The charges against him from 1946 were officially dismissed. A special historical marker now stands in Batesburg to remember this important civil rights event.

Economy and Jobs

Batesburg-Leesville has several important businesses and industries.

Main Employers

The biggest employer in town is Lexington County School District Three. This district has four schools and an office. Another major employer is Ansaldo STS, which has a large manufacturing building.

Poultry Industry

The town's economy relies a lot on the poultry industry. There are two big poultry processing plants here: Amick Farms and Columbia Farms. These plants help make Lexington County the top poultry producer in South Carolina.

Poultry Festival

Every year, the South Carolina Poultry Festival is held in Batesburg-Leesville. It takes place on the second Saturday in May and has been a tradition since 1987. The festival includes live music, food, crafts, a carnival, a parade, and ends with a cake auction and fireworks.

Education in Batesburg-Leesville

The public schools in Batesburg-Leesville are managed by Lexington County School District Three.

Public Schools

The district has four main schools:

Batesburg-Leesville Primary School (for grades K-2)
Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School (for grades 3–5)
Batesburg-Leesville Middle School (for grades 6–8)
Batesburg-Leesville High School (for grades 9–12)

All sports teams in School District Three are called the Panthers. Their team colors are purple, gold, and black.

Historic Public Schools

Over the years, the school system has changed. Many older, smaller schools were combined into newer, larger ones. For example, the Batesburg-Leesville Primary School opened in 1984. The Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School opened in 1996, replacing the Old Batesburg Grade School. The current Batesburg-Leesville Middle School opened in 1999.

The Batesburg-Leesville High School opened in 1975. Before schools were integrated, African-American students attended separate schools like Twin-City High School and Hampton School.

Private Schools

There are also private Christian schools in the area. These include W. Wyman King Academy and Ridge Christian School. They accept students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Colleges and Universities

In 2008, Midlands Technical College opened a campus in Batesburg-Leesville. It is located in the Leesville Historic District.

Historic Colleges

Leesville College: This college was open from 1890 to 1911. It was known for being one of the first schools in the state to offer practical and technical training. It also had one of the first girls' basketball teams.
Summerland College: This was an all-female college of the Lutheran Church, open from 1912 to 1930. It was located where the current Batesburg-Leesville High School is now.

Library

Batesburg-Leesville has a public library. It is a part of the Lexington County Public Library system.

Media

Batesburg-Leesville has local news and is reached by larger media outlets.

Newspapers

The Twin-City News is a weekly newspaper that focuses on local news. It started in 1925 and is the oldest continuously running business in town. Other newspapers like The State and Lexington County Chronicle also serve the area.

Radio

Batesburg-Leesville has one local radio station, WBLR 1430 AM. Many other radio stations from nearby cities can also be heard in the town.

Television

People in Batesburg-Leesville can receive several over-the-air TV channels from Augusta, Georgia, and Columbia, South Carolina. Cable TV services are also available.

Geography

Batesburg-Leesville is in western Lexington County. A small part of the town extends into Saluda County. The town covers about 8.3 square miles (21.5 square kilometers). A small amount of this area is water.

The town is located along the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line. This is a natural boundary that separates the Piedmont region from the Atlantic coastal plain. This line also roughly divides the north and south sides of the town. The Piedmont area here has clay soil, while the Coastal Plain has sandy soil.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	286	—
1890	528	84.6%
1900	971	83.9%
1910	1,995	105.5%
1920	2,848	42.8%
1930	2,839	−0.3%
1940	2,933	3.3%
1950	3,169	8.0%
1960	3,806	20.1%
1970	4,036	6.0%
1980	4,023	−0.3%
1990	4,082	1.5%
2000	5,517	35.2%
2010	5,362	−2.8%
2020	5,270	−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 Census Details

Batesburg-Leesville racial composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	2,575	48.86%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,191	41.57%
Native American	10	0.19%
Asian	31	0.59%
Pacific Islander	4	0.08%
Other/Mixed	148	2.81%
Hispanic or Latino	311	5.9%

In 2020, there were 5,270 people living in Batesburg-Leesville. There were 2,046 households and 1,458 families.

Famous People from Batesburg-Leesville

Many notable people have connections to Batesburg-Leesville.

Athletes

Shaq Roland: A wide receiver for the South Carolina Gamecocks football team.
Dontrelle Inman: A professional football player for teams like the San Diego Chargers.
Ed McDaniel: A former professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings.
Zackary Bowman: A professional football player for teams like the Chicago Bears.
Maurice Simpkins: A professional football player for the Green Bay Packers.
Dal Shealy: A college football player and coach.

Musicians

Linda Martell: An American rhythm and blues and country music singer.

Government and Military Leaders

Katrina F. Shealy: A South Carolina State Senator since 2013. She was the only female in the State Senate when she started.
Ryan C. Shealy: A state legislator who served in the South Carolina House and Senate.
George Bell Timmerman Jr.: Served as Governor of South Carolina from 1955 to 1959. He also served in the United States Navy during World War II.
Clabie Cecil Edmond: The first African-American Mayor of Batesburg-Leesville, serving from 1997 to 2001.
Col. Werner Watson Moore: A military leader who was Chief of Transportation for the Caribbean and Pacific Theater during World War II.

Images for kids

Hartley House (1830), located on U.S. Highway 1 across from the old Batesburg Graded School
Batesburg's Southern Railway Depot (1900) now located in the Wilson Street Park
Leesville United Methodist Church (1909) on U.S. Highway 1
Former Batesburg Graded School (1912) on U.S. Highway 1
Barr-Price Funeral Home (1909) - Part of the Leesville College Historic District
Historic Leesville Business District - Main Street
Historic Batesburg Business District - Oak Street
Leesville College Park and old classroom building, summer 2018