City Directories and History: R&R has divided the 1941 SCDOT map of Sumter County into (28) sectional maps. Many of the individually listed schools and churches shown on this section are pictured. However, in many cases, the individual site also has its own post on R&R, which often provides added information and image. Be wise and use the search function to locate all of the entries for this and other homeplace listings.
Click on this link to view the original SCDOT maps at: SumterCoSCDOT.
The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Nov. 19, 1890 – “At a meeting of the board of the State Penitentiary lately, the members voted to purchase the Dessauser Plantation in Sumter County. The farm has 2,500 acres and the price was $25,000.”
The Yorkville Enquirer of Jan. 13, 1892 – “The Dessauser State Farm has been leased to T.O. Sanders, the former director of the penitentiary. He will pay a rent of $1,700. and furnish all materials and implements and provide the state with one half of his crop. The state will provide 60 convicts.” On June 22, 1892 the paper stated, “Six convicts escaped from the state farm at Hagood. They were working near the swamp and four of the escapees swam across the river to the Richland Co., side.”
From resolutions to the S.C. Gen. Assembly – “it is reported that Reid and Dessauser were two state prison farms. Dessauser, managed by J.P. Harling had fifty six African American prisoners and six white prisoners with six guards. New prison quarters were built in 1912 about that time, the farm had about 300 acres of cotton, 300 acres of corn, 300 acres acres of grains, eight acres of garden, three horses, thirty-four mules and forty seven convicts.”
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