A Railroad Town
As with many rural South Carolina towns,Mayesville grew up around a railroad depot.The Wilmington and Manchester Railroadbuilt the depot in 1853 on land owned byMatthew Peterson Mayes, known to hisfriends and others as "Squire." SquireMayes was born in Virginia in 1794 andsettled in the Sumter District with hismarriage to a local girl, Martha Bradley.He later married Henrietta Shaw andbuilt a home on land near where the townof Mayesville, named in his honor, wouldgrow. He invested in the town andencouraged its prosperity.
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Recovering from the Raveges of War
During the Civil War, Union troops sweptthrough Sumter District heading towardthe war's end game in Bentonville, NC.In Mayesville, they discovered rail carsand destroyed these as well as the depot, rails and a bridge. The town recovered from the ravages of the war and by theturn of the 20th century had become aprosperous agricultural center for thispart of Sumter County. It boasted several businesses including a hotel, two banks,furniture and hardware stores, a postoffice, five physicians and an undertaker.To meet the spiritual and educational needs of the citizens, there wereseveral churches and new schools.
Mayesville's Ebb and Flow
Mayesville's prosperity began to unravelwhen the highway to Sumter was pavedin 1922. This event, combined with theunseen enemy of the Great Depression,saw the town's commercial center slowlyerode. Today, the town is experiencinga revival. We hope you will take time towalk our streets and heritage trail andlearn more about our town and its great citizens.