Georgetown County was named for King George II of England. It was settled during the 18th century by English planters
bringing their African
slaves to establish large rice and indigo plantations.The local town of Georgetown, established
about 1730, prospered as a busy port
for the plantations.
Georgetown District was first named in 1769 and
included the parishes of Prince George, All Saints, and Prince Frederick.
In 1785 the district was divided into
four counties:
Liberty, Kingston,Williamsburg and Winyah.
During the
Revolutionary War the troops
of General Francis Marion were known to hide in the swamps while
waging guerrilla warfare against the British.
Early settlers: Thomas Lynch, Jr. (1749-1779), signer of the Declaration of Independence;
Theodosia Burr
Alston (1783-1813), the daughter of Aaron Burr; Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851),
Congressman, secretary of war,
ambassador to Mexico and Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832-1887),
the first African-American elected to the U. S. House of
Representatives.