The Mayesville Story
(Left text)
A Railroad Town
As with many rural South Carolina towns,
Mayesville grew up around a railroad depot.
The Wilmington and Manchester Railroad
built the depot in 1853 on land owned by
Matthew Peterson Mayes, known to his
friends and others as "Squire." Squire
Mayes was born in Virginia in 1794 and
settled in the Sumter District with his
marriage to a local girl, Martha Bradley.
He later married Henrietta Shaw and
built a home on land near where the town
of Mayesville, named in his honor, would
grow. He invested in the town and
encouraged its prosperity.
(Lower left text)
Recovering from the Raveges of War
During the Civil War, Union troops swept
through Sumter District heading toward
the war's end game in Bentonville, NC.
In Mayesville, they discovered rail cars
and destroyed these as well as the depot,
rails and a bridge. The town recovered
from the ravages of the war and by the
turn of the 20th century had become a
prosperous agricultural center for this
part of Sumter County. It boasted several
businesses including a hotel, two banks,
furniture and hardware stores, a post
office, five physicians and an undertaker.
To meet the spiritual and educational
needs of the citizens, there were
several churches and new schools.
(Right text)
Mayesville's Ebb and Flow
Mayesville's prosperity began to unravel
when the highway to Sumter was paved
in 1922. This event, combined with the
unseen enemy of the Great Depression,
saw the town's commercial center slowly
erode. Today, the town is experiencing
a revival. We hope you will take time to
walk our streets and heritage trail and
learn more about our town and its great
citizens.
Marker is on South Main Street East near Liberty Street, on the left.
Courtesy hmdb.org
