FCGS (Fairfield County Genealogy Society)
History of Fairfield County
Compiled by South Carolina State Library 1996.
The origin of the name
Fairfield is not known, but local legend attributes it to a remark by Lord
Cornwallis about the "fair fields" of the area. The county was formed in 1785 as
a part of Camden District. The town of Winnsboro, which was settled around 1755,
is the county seat. Fairfield County lies between the upcountry and the
low country areas of the state, and it was settled both by Scotch-Irish
immigrants from colonies to the north and by English and French Huguenot
planters from the low country. In the colonial period this area was a center for
the Regulator movement, which sought to bring law and order to the backcountry.
During the Revolutionary War, Lord Cornwallis made his headquarters in Winnsboro
from October 1780 to January 1781; the county was also invaded by General
Sherman's troops during the Civil War. Cotton production was the major economic
activity of the area, but the county also produced Winnsboro Blue Granite. Some
prominent residents of the county were Regulator leader Thomas Woodward (d.
1779), Revolutionary War soldier Richard Winn (1750-1818), and artist Laura
Glenn Douglas (1886-1962).
by J. D. Lewis
Curlee Productions
Creative Video & Graphic Design
Glimpses of History, Winnsboro, South Carolina
compiled by & permission given by Bob Curlee
Winnsboro, South Carolina, 1900's to 2010 (video 53 minutes)