Laurens is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. In 2020, about 9,335 people lived there. It is the main town, or county seat, of Laurens County.

History of Laurens
Historic Places to See
Geography and Climate
Population of Laurens
- 2020 Census Details
Education in Laurens
Media and News
Famous People from Laurens
See also

History of Laurens

Laurens in 1941

Downtown Laurens, 1941

Laurens is in the upstate part of South Carolina. It is named after Henry Laurens, an important person from South Carolina. He was a merchant and a rice farmer. He also served as a leader in the Continental Congress, which was a big meeting of leaders during America's early days.

The city of Laurens was officially started on March 15, 1785. It was meant to be a place for businesses and trade. It was one of six counties created from an older area called the Old Ninety-Six District. At first, it was called Laurensville. The name "Laurens" first appeared in a town document in 1873.

The first people to live in this area were the Cherokee Indians. They used the land for hunting and sometimes for battles. We know this because old broken pots, weapons, and even a mound linked to Cherokee culture have been found in Laurens. Many agreements were made with the Cherokee about this land, starting way back in 1721.

Before the American Revolution, many new people, mostly from Scotland and Ireland, moved to Laurens County. Later, Laurens became a busy place for trade in colonial America. There was even a big fight nearby called the Battle of Musgrove Mill.

After the Revolutionary War, in 1790, Laurens was chosen as the county seat. Like many towns in the southern United States, cotton was a very important crop. Growing a lot of cotton led to a big economic boom. This also meant more African American people lived there, as their labor was used on cotton farms. This growth brought many rich business people to Laurens. A future president, Andrew Johnson, worked as a tailor in downtown Laurens from 1824 to 1826.

Before the American Civil War began, Laurens was home to many political leaders. Some of them helped influence South Carolina's decision to leave the United States. The Civil War itself did not have battles in Laurens. However, many people from Charleston moved to Laurens to escape the war. Some of these refugees stayed in Laurens after the war ended.

After the war, during the Reconstruction Era, Laurens's economy changed. It started to include more factories and industries. The town began to recover by building textile (cloth) and manufacturing businesses. The Lauren Cotton Mill started in 1895, and Watts Mill in 1902. Laurens Glass Company, which made glass, opened in 1910. It was one of the biggest glass factories in the Southeast for over 80 years. The Laurens Railroad Company began in 1847, connecting Laurens to other major cities.

Laurens and Laurens County are part of the Old 96 District. This district also includes other counties like Abbeville, Greenwood, McCormick, and Edgefield.

In the past, textile, manufacturing, and glass industries provided many jobs. Today, many of these older factories have closed. But Laurens County still has many different types of businesses. These include companies like CeramTec, International Paper, and Milliken & Company. Walmart also has a large distribution center near the city, which employs many people. The area has seen new shops and businesses open. There's also new investment in heavy industry, like a big factory for the German company ZF Group.

Laurens was featured in the second season of a TV show called Town Haul. The movie Burden (2018 film) was also set in Laurens.

Laurens is known as the hometown of some famous musicians. These include Reverend Gary Davis and Pink Anderson, who were blues musicians. Redtop Davis, a boxer from the 1940s and 1950s, also lived here. James "JT" Taylor, the lead singer of the popular band Kool & The Gang, grew up in Laurens.

Historic Places to See

The Courthouse Square is a historic area in Laurens. It's about four acres big and was bought in 1792. The Laurens County Courthouse stands in the middle of this square. The current courthouse is the third one built here. The first was made of wood and was used as a church, school, and courthouse. The second was made of brick. The third one, which you can see today, was built in 1838. This courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, meaning it's a very important historical site.

Laurens has a special church district with two old churches on Caroline Street. Bethel AME Church was one of them, designed in 1910 by Columbus White, a former slave and builder. The first church building was from 1868. Next to it is Saint Paul First Baptist, started in 1877. Columbus White also built this church in 1912. It has a Gothic Revival style and was the county's first public school for African American children until 1937.

The Church of the Epiphany is the oldest church building in Laurens that is still used today. It was built in 1846. The First United Methodist Church shows off Romanesque Revival architecture and was built in 1897. The First Baptist Church was originally called Laurensville Baptist Church in 1834. Its first main building was in 1850, and the current one was built in 1958. The First Presbyterian Church started on April 1, 1832. Its current building, built in 1891, is in the Victorian Gothic Revival style.

Most of Laurens's historic homes are found in the West Main Street District. The Watts-Todd-Dunklin House was built in 1812. It was a wedding gift from Washington Williams to his daughter, Nancy. Later, the Todd family owned it for about 100 years. This house is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1859, Colonel John Drayton Williams built the Williams-Ball-Copeland House. It has an Italian Villa design. Many families owned it before a Baptist ministry bought it in 1970.

The Governor Simpson House was first built in 1839 by Christopher Garlington, one of Laurens's first families. It has a Greek Revival style. Later, it was owned by Major Adam Eichelberger, who then sold it to W.D. Simpson, a former South Carolina Governor.

Also on West Main Street is the Charles H. Duckett House, built in 1892. Charles Duckett, who owned it, was a freedman (a person who was formerly enslaved) and owned a lumberyard. The John Calvin Owings House, built in 1896, is known for its fancy "gingerbread" details and round towers. The Edna Poole House, also on West Main Street, has an Art Deco style and was even featured in Home Magazine and at the World's Fair in Chicago.

The Octagon House is one of only two octagon-shaped buildings in South Carolina. Reverend Zelotes Lee Holmes, a Presbyterian minister and teacher, built it between 1850 and 1859. Its unique design was created by his brother, who was an engineer. A book called "The Octagon House, A Home for All" was even written about this type of house in 1853.

Other important places in Laurens listed on the National Register of Historic Places include the Albright-Dukes House, Lyde Irby Darlington House, Allen Dial House, Dr. William Claudius Irby House, Irby-Henderson-Todd House, Laurens Historic District, Nickels-Milam House, Sitgreaves House, South Harper Historic District, Sullivan House, and Wilson-Clary House.

Geography and Climate

Laurens is located at 34°30′3″N 82°1′6″W / 34.50083°N 82.01833°W / 34.50083; -82.01833. The city covers about 10.6 square miles (27.5 square kilometers) of land.

Climate data for Laurens, South Carolina, normals 1981–2010, extremes 1901-present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	81 (27)	82 (28)	93 (34)	95 (35)	102 (39)	107 (42)	107 (42)	107 (42)	107 (42)	98 (37)	88 (31)	83 (28)	107 (42)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	51.8 (11.0)	57.1 (13.9)	65.6 (18.7)	74.5 (23.6)	81.9 (27.7)	88.6 (31.4)	91.0 (32.8)	89.7 (32.1)	84.3 (29.1)	74.6 (23.7)	64.2 (17.9)	55.5 (13.1)	73.2 (22.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	28.5 (−1.9)	32.3 (0.2)	39.1 (3.9)	47.3 (8.5)	56.3 (13.5)	64.8 (18.2)	68.2 (20.1)	67.2 (19.6)	60.8 (16.0)	48.2 (9.0)	38.0 (3.3)	32.0 (0.0)	48.6 (9.2)
Record low °F (°C)	−2 (−19)	3 (−16)	6 (−14)	23 (−5)	31 (−1)	42 (6)	50 (10)	49 (9)	26 (−3)	21 (−6)	12 (−11)	−1 (−18)	−2 (−19)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.20 (107)	4.26 (108)	4.54 (115)	3.48 (88)	3.57 (91)	4.09 (104)	4.31 (109)	4.05 (103)	3.72 (94)	3.12 (79)	3.20 (81)	4.15 (105)	44.18 (1,122)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.7 (1.8)	0.8 (2.0)	0.5 (1.3)	—	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	—	0.1 (0.25)	0.4 (1.0)	2.3 (5.8)
Source: NOAA

Population of Laurens

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	429	—
1880	752	—
1890	2,245	198.5%
1900	4,029	79.5%
1910	4,818	19.6%
1920	4,629	−3.9%
1930	5,443	17.6%
1940	6,895	26.7%
1950	8,658	25.6%
1960	9,598	10.9%
1970	10,298	7.3%
1980	10,587	2.8%
1990	9,694	−8.4%
2000	9,916	2.3%
2010	9,139	−7.8%
2020	9,335	2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 Census Details

Laurens racial composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	4,515	48.37%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	3,632	38.91%
Native American	15	0.16%
Asian	47	0.5%
Pacific Islander	1	0.01%
Other/Mixed	308	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino	817	8.75%

In 2020, Laurens had 9,335 people living there. There were 3,759 households (groups of people living together) and 2,450 families.

Education in Laurens

Laurens has a lending library called the Laurens County Public Library. It's a great place to borrow books and learn new things.

The schools in Laurens are part of Laurens County School District 55. This district also includes nearby towns like Gray Court, Hickory Tavern, and Waterloo.

Here are some of the public schools in Laurens:

E.B. Morse Elementary
Ford Elementary
Laurens Elementary
Sanders Middle
Laurens Middle
Laurens District 55 High

For private education, there is Laurens Academy, which is a Christian school for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Piedmont Technical College also has a campus in Laurens, offering higher education courses.

Media and News

Laurens is home to WLBG-AM 860, a radio station that plays news and talk shows. It's known as 'Real Radio 860' and is one of the oldest news sources in the area. Their main show is 'Good Morning Upcountry' with Randy Stevens. WLBG also shares local news updates throughout the day.

You can also find daily news about Laurens on the website GoLaurens.com. It covers news, sports, and crime. The city's only printed newspaper is The Laurens County Advertiser, which comes out every Wednesday. A smaller version, called The Advertiser EXTRA, is given out for free by mail every Friday to many homes in Laurens County.

Laurens is also home to Print-A-Matic, Inc., a printing company started in 1979. The Laurens County Community Access Channel, ACCESS 15, is a local TV channel that broadcasts on Charter Cable channel 15.

Famous People from Laurens

Pink Anderson, a blues singer
Robert Archer Cooper, a former Governor of South Carolina
Reverend Gary Davis, a blues and gospel guitarist and singer
John Glen (1809–95), a former Mayor of Atlanta
Bob Hazle, a baseball player
Hilary A. Herbert, who was the Secretary of the Navy under President Grover Cleveland
Andrew Johnson, the 17th U.S. president
Ali Rogers, Miss South Carolina 2012 and first runner-up at Miss America 2013
William Dunlap Simpson, a former Governor of South Carolina
James "J.T." Taylor, the R&B funk singer from the band Kool & the Gang
Thomas A. Wofford, a United States Senator from South Carolina

Laurens, South Carolina facts for kids

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