Sumter Historic District
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Commercial area centered around Main and Liberty Sts., Sumter, SC (Sumter County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817743024
Description and Narrative:
Originally called Sumterville, the town was the county seat of Sumter District and later Sumter County. A settlement by 1785, Sumterville was named after General Thomas Sumter, South Carolina Revolutionary war hero. In 1798, the village was selected for the site of the courthouse of old Sumter District. With no access to waterway or railroad, development was slow until the Camden branch of the South Carolina Railroad extended into the town in 1843. Incorporated in 1845, Sumterville’s name was eventually changed to Sumter. The town was officially chartered in 1871. Sumter’s political, commercial, and cultural development is reflected in the architecture of the central business district that spans a time period from 1828 to the present. Many of the buildings in the original commercial district date from 1880 to 1912 and are typical of turn-of-the-century commercial buildings, using materials such as pressed tin, limestone, and brick. Detail work of buildings includes arches, columns, decorative brickwork and dentil work. Listed in the National Register April 21, 1975.
Period of Significance:
1828 – circa 1940
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Entertainment/Recreation;Architecture;Commerce;Politics/Government;Social History
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
April 21 1975
