Hampton, South Carolina
| Hampton, South Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Town Hall
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 Location of Hampton, South Carolina |
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| Coordinates: 32°52′3″N 81°6′42″W / 32.86750°N 81.11167°WCoordinates: 32°52′3″N 81°6′42″W / 32.86750°N 81.11167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| County | Hampton |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.5 sq mi (11.8 km2) |
| • Land | 4.5 sq mi (11.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 108 ft (33 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 2,837 |
| • Density | 626.1/sq mi (241.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 29913, 29924 |
| Area code(s) | 803 |
| FIPS code | 45-31885 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1245894 |
| Website | www.hamptonsc.net |
Hampton is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,808 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Hampton County. The town and the county are named after Wade Hampton III, a Confederate general in the Civil War.
Hampton County was created from northwestern portions of Beaufort County in 1878 by the South Carolina General Assembly. In appreciation for helping to end the Reconstruction Era and leading the Democratic Party, the county was named after the sitting governor, Wade Hampton III. Upon creation of the county, the town of Hampton Courthouse was incorporated the following year to serve as the county seat. The U.S. Postal Service would later shorten the name to Hampton. The location was chosen based on the midpoint location of the Port Royal Railroad between Augusta, Georgia and Port Royal, in hopes to spur economic development. The town was laid out in an orderly grid pattern, with streets running northeast/southwest being named after trees and streets running northwest/southeast being numbered. The central three-block main street which ran between the courthouse block and the rail depot was named Lee Avenue.
Hampton prospered due to its connections with local agricultural fields and became an important depot along the railway. However, the town remained small, though an influx of activity occurred in World War II when a Prisoner-of-War camp was opened near the town. Additional economic development came in the form of industry, with Plywoods-Plastic opening a major facility northwest of town for pulp production. Over time, the company was acquired by Westinghouse and International Paper. IP sold the site to Nevamar, and the facility remained one of the county's largest employers until its closure in late 2014.
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