Winnsboro is a town in Fairfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,550 at the 2010 census. The population was 3,215 at the 2020 census, a population decrease of approximately 9.5% for the same 10 year period. It is the county seat of Fairfield County. Winnsboro is part of the Columbia, South Carolina metropolitan Area as well as a suburb of Columbia.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 census
Education
Poverty
Notable people
See also

History

Based on archeological evidence, this area of the Piedmont was occupied by various cultures of indigenous peoples from as early as the Archaic period, about 1500 BC. Blair Mound is a nearby archeological site and earthwork likely occupied 1300-1400 AD, as part of the late Mississippian culture in the region.

Several years before the Revolutionary War, Richard Winn from Virginia moved to what is now Fairfield County in the upland or Piedmont area of South Carolina. His lands included the present site of Winnsboro. As early as 1777, the settlement was known as "Winnsborough" since he was the major landowner. His brothers John and Minor Winn joined him there, adding to family founders.

The village was laid out and chartered in 1785 upon petition of Richard and John Winn, and John Vanderhorst. The brothers Richard, John and Minor Winn all served in the Revolutionary War. Richard became a general, and was said to have fought in more battles than any Whig in South Carolina. John gained the rank of colonel. See Fairfield County, South Carolina, for more.

The area was developed for the cultivation of short-staple cotton after Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1793, which made processing of this type of cotton profitable. Previously it was considered too labor-intensive. Short-staple cotton was widely cultivated on plantations in upland areas throughout the Deep South, through an interior area that became known as the Black Belt. The increased demand for slave labor resulted in the forced migration of more than one million African-American slaves into the area through sales in the domestic slave market. By the time of the Civil War, the county's population was majority black and majority slave.

Textile mills were constructed in the area beginning in the late 19th century, and originally only whites were allowed to work in the mills. "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues", an industrial folk song of the 1930s with lyrics typical of the blues, refers to working in a cotton mill in this city. The song arose after the textile mill had been converted to a tire manufacturing plant, reflecting the widespread expansion of the auto industry. The song has been sung by Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, and other artists. It was the basis of one of the ballads by modernist composer/pianist Frederic Rzewski in his Four North American Ballads for solo piano, completed in 1979.

Places listed on the National Register of Historic Places for Winnsboro range from an Archaic period archeological site, to structures and districts spanning the European-American/African-American history of the city, as in the following list: Albion, Balwearie, Blair Mound, Dr. Walter Brice House and Office, Concord Presbyterian Church, Furman Institution Faculty Residence, Hunstanton, Ketchin Building, Bob Lemmon House, Liberty Universalist Church and Feasterville Academy Historic District, McMeekin Rock Shelter, Mount Olivet Presbyterian Church, New Hope A.R.P. Church and Session House, Old Stone House, Rockton and Rion Railroad Historic District, Rural Point, Shivar Springs Bottling Company Cisterns, The Oaks, Tocaland, White Oak Historic District, and the Winnsboro Historic District. Though not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Winnsboro Town Clock built in 1837 is the oldest continuously running clock in the United States.

Geography

Winnsboro is located east of the center of Fairfield County at 34°22′37″N 81°5′17″W / 34.37694°N 81.08806°W / 34.37694; -81.08806 (34.377069, -81.087959). U.S. Route 321 and South Carolina Highway 34 bypass the town on the west side. US 321 Business passes through the center of town on Congress Street. US 321 leads north 25 miles (40 km) to Chester and south 28 miles (45 km) to Columbia. SC 34 leads southeast 11 miles (18 km) to Ridgeway and west 36 miles (58 km) to Newberry. SC 200 leads northeast 19 miles (31 km) to Great Falls. The unincorporated community of Winnsboro Mills borders the south side of Winnsboro.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Winnsboro has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	355	—
1870	1,124	216.6%
1880	1,500	33.5%
1890	1,738	15.9%
1900	1,765	1.6%
1910	1,754	−0.6%
1920	1,822	3.9%
1930	2,344	28.6%
1940	3,181	35.7%
1950	3,267	2.7%
1960	3,479	6.5%
1970	3,411	−2.0%
1980	2,919	−14.4%
1990	3,475	19.0%
2000	3,599	3.6%
2010	3,550	−1.4%
2020	3,215	−9.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

The Fairfield County Courthouse in 1940

Tocaland is one of twenty-one sites in Winnsboro listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

2020 census

Winnsboro racial composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,926	59.91%
White (non-Hispanic)	1,078	33.53%
Native American	14	0.44%
Asian	26	0.81%
Pacific Islander	1	0.03%
Other/Mixed	89	2.77%
Hispanic or Latino	81	2.52%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,215 people, 1,329 households, and 878 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 3,550 people, 1,497 households, and 931 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 60.3% African American, 36.1% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.

Education

Fairfield Institute, a school for African Americans run by a missionary from New Jersey was in Winnsboro from 1869 to 1888 when it closed and merged with Brainerd Institute in Chester, South Carolina. Its principal, Rev. Willard Richardson returned to New Jersey with his family. Joseph Winthrop Holley and Kelly Miller attended the school. Winnsboro has a public library, a branch of the Fairfield County Library.

Winnsboro is served by the Fairfield County Public School system. Currently, Fairfield County schools hold a ranking C+, based on the most recent ratings. The school district has 2,414 students in grades PK, K-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 10 to 1. According to state test scores, 25.1% of students are at least proficient in math and 31% in reading. The district on-time graduation rate, according to the South Carolina Department of Education School Report Card, is 78.1%, while the South Carolina state average is 83.3%. For Fiscal Year 2021-2022, the revenue per pupil (student) is $25,790, which is the highest in the state of South Carolina.

Poverty

The average household income in Winnsboro is $40,553. The poverty rate is 31.86%. The median rental cost is $734 per month, and the median home value is $116,000.

Notable people

D. Wyatt Aiken (1828–1887), U.S. congressman from South Carolina
Mike Anderson, Baltimore Ravens running back, formerly of the Denver Broncos where he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2000 season
Webster Anderson (1933 – 2003), U.S. Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor, the highest US military award, for his actions in the Vietnam War
John Bratton (1838-1898), Confederate general during the American Civil War; U.S. congressman from South Carolina
Walter B. Brown (1920-1998), former vice-president of Southern Railway (now Norfolk Southern); political figure in South Carolina legislative government
William Porcher DuBose (1836-1918), priest, theologian, educator in the Episcopal Church, and Civil War veteran
William Ellison (1790-1861), Jr., born a mixed-race slave April on the plantation of William Ellison (likely his father) near Winnsboro; he was apprenticed as a cotton gin maker and allowed to buy his freedom in 1816. He had his own business and also became a major planter in Sumter County, where he owned 1000 acres by 1860 and numerous slaves to work that land.
Gordon Glisson (1930-1997), champion jockey in thoroughbred horse racing
Justin Hobgood, NASCAR driver
James Hooker, singer/songwriter
Ellis Johnson, college football coach
Catherine Stratton Ladd (1808–1899) founder of Winnsboro Female Institute, writer, and journalist
David Leventritt (1845–1926), New York City lawyer and judge, born in Winnsboro
Donnie Levister, NASCAR driver
James G. Martin, 70th governor of North Carolina (1985-1993)
John Hugh Means (1812-1862), 64th governor of South Carolina (1850–1852); signed South Carolina Ordinance of Secession in 1860; killed at Second Battle of Manassas during Civil War
James Francis Miller (1830-1902), politician who represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1883-1886
Kelly Miller (1863-1939), African-American mathematician, sociologist, essayist, newspaper columnist, and author
James Milling, professional football player
Thomas J. Robertson (1823-1897), U.S. senator from South Carolina
Orlando Ruff, defensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints
Alex Sanders, former Court of Appeals judge, Lt. Governor candidate, College of Charleston president, and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate; resides in Charleston; related to Thomas family of Ridgeway
Miriam Stevenson, Miss South Carolina 1953, Miss South Carolina USA 1954, Miss USA 1954, Miss Universe 1954
Tyler Thigpen, Buffalo Bills quarterback
Joseph A. Woodward (1806-1885), congressman from South Carolina; son of William Woodward

Winnsboro, South Carolina facts for kids

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