Buildings
Hampton County Courthouse
This "Temple of Justice" is on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1878, the same year the South Carolina General Assembly declared this northern portion of Beaufort County its own separate county. The cornerstone was laid by General Wade Hampton himself.
Hampton Colored School
The Hampton Colored School was built in 1931 and used to be the only educational facility for the community's black children. The strucure replaced a dilapitated one-room school house that dated back to 1922. The facility has been restored and named to both the South Carolina and the National Register of Historic Places. The Museum serves as a repository of Black History in Hampton.
Lawtonville Baptist Church
Circa 1819. Site of Lawtonville Village (destroyed by Sherman's Troops). Only remains are a masontry staircase and a baptistry. It is one of the oldest baptist churches in South Carolina. It is located only a few miles west of Estill.
Stoney Creek Chapel
Circa. 1832. Stoney Creek Chapel was built in the high piney woods of McPhersonville. It was here that many plantation owners and their families had summer residences where they retreated to escape the unhealthy lowlands during the months of mosquito infestation. Many of the planters gave up portions of their property to form one 210 ft. square acre on which the chapel was built, providing a place of worship.
Town of Varnville
Circa 1800. The Town was originally known as "Dixie". The view of Varnville is of lovely old homes, the former depot and gazebo. It was said that the aristocrats settles in Varnville. One of the original founders was James Varn who operated the sawmill. Scenes from the movie "Forest Gump" were filmed here.
Brunson's Famous Town Hall
Ripley's "Believe It Or Not" cited it as the only Town Hall on stilts in the world. It stands tall and proud as a landmark of this once "largest town" on the Charleston and Western Railroad. The main reason for the stilts was to provide shade and accessibility for an artesian well beneath the building.
Museums
Hampton County Museum
The Hampton County Museum Museum includes a second floor cell block unchanged since 1878, with original steel floor and hand tooled iron grill work. It is located in the old jailhouse and contains an extensive collection of Civil War memorabilia, including various maps and uniforms. Also, there is an extensive collection of World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam memorabilia. Photographs of the county and its people and their ancestors are also on display.
Hampton Museum and Visitor's Center
The Town of Hampton Museum and Visitor's Center is located in an old bank building. The Museum contains military artifacts, a children's room, an exhibition of various antique medical equipment donated by local physicians and Watermelon Festival memorabilia. Also, on a regular basis local craftsmen and artisans display their wares on a rotating basis. The Museum is on the National Register of Historic Places.
