UNION COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Union County has a vast catalog of war history you may not pick up on while walking around its quiet and historic small-town streets. Yet, the area holds stories of Revolutionary War battles and tales of people who proudly represented their hometown during the drafts for World War I.
To learn about the Revolutionary War battles fought in the area, 7NEWS reached out to the Union County Historical Society.
The historical society oversees the Union County Museum, where tons of war memorabilia and artifacts, original battle flags, documents, and more, all related to Union County, are housed.
Howard Lawson, Executive Director of the Union County Museum, said, while pointing to a local Revolutionary War battle map, “If you step across county lines, within a mile or two, you have 7 or 8 battles that actually took place here in Union County. Most of them were fought by small numbers of troops,15 to 30.”
He said the various troops were made up of residents from the original Ninety-Six District. The judicial district included what is now Laurens, Greenwood, Spartanburg, Union, Newberry, Edgefield and Abbeville counties.
One of those troops, the Second Spartan Regiment, was led by Colonel Thomas Brandon.
Jerry Williams, president of the Union County Historical Society, said Col. Brandon was a crucial asset to both the small, local skirmishes and larger battles.
“Thomas Brandon was a local patriot who fought at the Battle of Blackstock,” he explained. “Blackstock was a significant battle in the Revolutionary War because there was a gentleman named Banastre Tarleton who was a very vicious British commander. It is believed that this was the first time he was defeated by the militia.”
Col. Brandon was also known for fighting in the Battle at King’s Mountain and the Battle of Cowpens.
After the Revolutionary War ended, Brandon returned to Union County, according to Williams.
“He donated a lot of the land in our area for the public buildings. And just a few years ago, I found out he was the first owner of the land where downtown Greenville is now located,” he said.
History of Union
Residents from Union County also made history during the Civil War.
“There were quite a lot of men from Union County who served in the Civil War. One of our biggest losses of people was at the battle called The Crater,” Lawson explained. “The local regiment was pretty much devastated. I think it lost 80% of its men at the explosion.”
He said there was also a small group of Union County residents to serve in the War of 1812.
After that war, the next group of Union residents to leave for military service was during World War I.
Despite a statewide draft, Williams said Union County was the only county to not need one.
“Everyone volunteered that was eligible to volunteer to join the military, and we didn’t have a draft. It may have been because of poverty, [but] I don’t know really what caused that,” he explained. “We like to think it was because they were loyal.”
As part of overseeing the county museum, the historical society also preserves the lineage of Union’s early families.
“Hawkins, Wilson, Sorrells, Moorman, and Combs were a lot of the common names of the early settlers in Union,” Williams listed.
To continue sourcing and showcasing local genealogy information and local historical artifacts, the Union County Historical Society said they need to move to a new facility.
A move to their approved new space, the former Union Oil Mill site at 421 N Pickney St, would help staff maintain the museum’s growth and ability to offer more community experiences.
But it comes with a cost. $750,000 to be exact.
“The goal of our capital campaign is to raise $750,000 to go along with the funds that we currently have to fund the relocation of the museum,” Charlie Wilson said.
Wilson, a member of the historical society’s Board of Directors, said they need the community’s help in their initiative.
“The name of our capital campaign is Preserving Union County’s History for the next 100 Years. We have visitors come here from all over the United States because they had ancestors that were here. We have many Revolutionary War, Civil War, and Indian artifacts in this building,” he listed. “We just feel it’s very important that we preserve this history for future generations.”
The historical society said they have experienced challenges in their current space and hope to offer a larger, modernized space Union County residents can be proud of.
If you’d like to help the Union County Historical Society preserve the Union County Museum, use this form.
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