City Directories and History: There is Sardinia at one end of Clarendon County and Rimine at the other. I don’t think I have met an Italian there in all these years. A little “digging” and “question-asking” brought out this information. When the Government was ready to open a post office in the community that is now Sardinia, the residents could not agree on a name. Since they were meeting in the school house, somebody, seeing the globe, suggested that they spin it and let someone close his eyes and put his finger on a spot which would be the name. This happened to be Sardinia.
Rimini received its name because of the fact that when a railroad bridge was being built across the Santee River many of the laborers were from Italy. They gave the name Rimini to their work camp. When the bridge was completed and they departed, the name stuck and is there today.
Another community and voting precinct that I found unusual in that same area is Panola. It is an old Indian name meaning cotton. The western part of Clarendon is the area in which so much fine cotton has been grown.
The Rock Hill Herald reported on Jan. 5, 1901 – “Mr. Knox Roach, who has been teaching school at Panola in Clarendon Co., was home for the holidays.”
Most counties have their share of -ville’s, -burg’s, -ton’s, and -town’s, but Alcolu is unique to Clarendon. I’m told that in a history book published for children, there is this misinformation: Alcolu is named for a tribe of Indians who used to live near Manning. A little learning is a dangerous thing. The real origin of the name is much more interesting than that even if it had been true.
In 1885 Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Alderman came to Clarendon County from Mullins, but he was originally from eastern North Carolina. In fact, he and his wife are buried at Wells Chapel, North Carolina, which was their home. Mrs. Alderman was a Wells before they married, and the “W.” in Mr. Alderman’s name was for Wells. I’m told he was named for the Rev. David Wells, who eventually became his father-in-law. Mr. Alderman started a “ground” circular saw mill on the Juneburn Road. In a year or two the town of ALCOLU was started…
Situated a few miles south of Manning on the road to Lake Marion is Jordan, a very old community. It is named for the Jordan family. Long ago it had an academy with an excellent faculty and many boarding students.
Manning is named for Richard I. Manning, who became governor of the State in 1824. Manning was at one time a settlement on the Camden-Charleston Road. Here Cornwallis came through and cut a wide road that would allow heavy artillery to go through to some objective. In later years this road was described by Mr. C. R. Clark as “. . . a two-lane dirt road under the umbrella-like shade of three rows of trees whose branches met overhead as in cathedral arches. The two lanes were separated by a row of sturdy oaks down the middle, the forerunner perhaps of the center line of modem highways. However, the great trees were there for beauty and shade, and not to control traffic as there was little occasion then for one horse and buggy to overtake and pass another.”
(Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)
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