Alcolu, South Carolina
| Alcolu, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place & Unincorporated community (CDP) | |
  Alcolu, South Carolina | |
| Coordinates: 33°45′04″N 80°12′51″W / 33.75111°N 80.21417°WCoordinates: 33°45′04″N 80°12′51″W / 33.75111°N 80.21417°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Clarendon |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 4.570 sq mi (11.84 km2) |
| • Land | 4.549 sq mi (11.78 km2) |
| • Water | 0.021 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 125 ft (38 m) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 455 |
| • Density | 100/sq mi (38/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 29001 |
| Area code(s) | 803 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1230998[2] |
Alcolu is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Clarendon County, South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, its population was 429.[3] Alcolu has a post office with ZIP code 29001, which opened on August 17, 1888.[4][5]
History
Alcolu was established between 1885 and 1890 by D.W. Alderman as a small mill town that housed the employees of his timber company and lumber mill. The name Alcolu is derived from “AL” for Alderman, “CO” for Coldwell (a friend), and “LU” for Lula, the only daughter of the Aldermans at that time.
When it was built, Alcolu was a company town where everybody worked in one of the various businesses of D.W. Alderman & Sons. The business grew to encompass logging operations, a saw mill, planing mill, hosiery mill, flooring mill, and extensive farming and cattle ranching. They also ran a cotton gin, hotel, company store, and several other businesses.
Over time, the company also helped found schools, churches, built baseball fields, an electric plant, and a telephone system for the town. D.W. Alderman also founded the Alcolu Railroad, the Paroda Railroad, and built the Alcolu railroad depot. The Alcolu Post Office was established on August 17, 1888. Algernon Coldwell was appointed as its first Postmaster.
Company employees were paid in babbits, a metal coin stamped with an “A”, that could be used in the company store. There they could buy groceries, see the doctor, get a haircut, or watch a show in the 200 seat auditorium upstairs. In 1919, company opened the 'Alderman 20 Stores in One' in nearby Manning. It was one of the first department stores in South Carolina and boasted of having the first elevator in town.
In 1947, the mill was sold by the Alderman family to the Southern Coatings & Chemical Company and the Williams Furniture Company. They, in turn, were later bought by the Georgia Pacific company in 1968. Georgia Pacific continued its operations in Alcolu until 2000, when the mill was finally closed. According to the 2010 census, the unincorporated town of Alcolu had a population of 429 people.
Notable residents
- George Stinney, youngest person ever executed in the United States.
Sources
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "Alcolu". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ↑ United States Postal Service (2012). "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved 2012-02-15.
- ↑ "Postmaster Finder - Post Offices by ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- U.S. Geological Survey. Best Practices National Structures Dataset. http://bpgeo.cr.usgs.gov/. 30-Jul-2008.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
