The city's first library operated out of a law office. Attorney Belton O'Neal Townsend lent law books out to friends and colleagues starting in the 1870s. It appears that the second library opened in 1903 and was located in City Hall. However, it was not a public library as it was open only to members. The effort to establish the first public library in Florence was spearheaded by Henry Edward Davis, who was the city attorney and a member of the Florence Board of School Commissioners. Davis began his effort in 1920. When it opened in 1925, the library was well received by the community and regarded as "one of the South's most beautiful libraries." It was expanded and renovated in the late 1970s. It appears the library, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, operated at least through the mid-2000s.

The former Florence Public Library was built in 1925 and is a fine example of Classical Revival architecture.

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Florence Public Library

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Although no longer used for its original purpose, the former Florence Public Library remains an important landmark in Florence. Constructed in 1925, the building was home to the city's first public library and is an excellent example of Classical Revival architecture. Designed by architect William J. Wilkins and Frank V. Hopkins, notable features include a large arched main entrance, arched windows with keystones, and limestone decorative elements. A law office occupies the building today. 

Florence Public Library

This tour is a work in progress... more soon. 

The state legislature founded the city of Florence on March 9, 1871. At the time, it was an important railroad town and commercial center, and the population in the town and surrounding area grew in the coming years. In 1888, Florence County was established and Florence became the county seat. As the economic and political focal point for the county, Florence continued to grow. The construction of the Post Office reflected the important status the town had achieved up to that point. An addition on the rear of the building was erected around 1935. The building continued to operate as a post office and federal court until 1975, when a new building was constructed.

The former U.S. Post Office remains one of the city's most attractive and historic buildings. Built around 1906, it is significant for its architecture and association with the federal government, which operated the post office. The building also housed a federal court and government offices, including the office of a U.S. congressman. In terms of design, the building is a fine example of Second Renaissance architecture. It features a wide, projecting cornice, segmentally arched and pedimented windows, and "eye of bull" dormers on the roof. The building appears to currently house a variety of offices.

U.S. Post Office

The Florence County Museum is home
to the Wright Collection of South Art. In this collection, over 140 pieces of
art that represent the best Southern Art artists such as: Thomas Hart Benton,
Anna Heyward Taylor, and Mary Whyte. The museum, however, is also committed to
contemporary artists as well, and hosts the Pee Dee Regional Art Competition,
which is South Carolina's oldest juried art competition. Since 1954, this competition
has brought the best of southern contemporary art to the region.

The
museum also offers a variety of special programs and&nbsp;lectures. On March 5th, 2015, for example,&nbsp;the museum hosted Dr. Stephen Wise who&nbsp;discussed the experience of local residents&nbsp;in the Civil War.&nbsp;The
museum is home to many highlights of local history. An 18-foot-tall Ancient
Bald Cypress trunk sub-fossil is found as an attraction among these exhibits,
as well as a cretaceous period reptile's material. The museum also has more
family friendly and kid targeted exhibits. The museum hosts Mornings At The Museum, which is for
kids ages 3-5 and their adult companions. This program has gallery visit, story
time, and a hands-on activity. The museum has also selected several Family Days
at the museum. This includes gallery activities, hands on experiences,
projects, and more.

The Florence County Museum preserves and interprets the history and culture of east-central South Carolina through exhibits and programs. The museum is best-known for the Wright Collection of Southern Art, which has over 140 pieces from various 20th century artists. Other highlights include a collection of works from Harlem Renaissance artist William H. Johnson and a famous original painting of Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion crossing the Pee Dee River. The museum also has various lectures and programs available for all ages or education levels.

Florence County Museum

Poynor Junior High School was completed after two years of construction. It was built on property previously owned by the trustees of an African American school. They sold the property on the the condition that a new African American school would be built. It appears that Poynor School, which was first called "New School," had classes for elementary, middle, and high school. However, it became too crowded and the high school moved back returned to the old school. New School was then renamed Central School. The name was eventually changed again to Central Graded School and then in 1922, it became Florence Junior High School. In 1955, it was renamed Poynor Junior High School after Rev. and Mrs. Wilmer S. Poynor. Poynor closed in 1975 and it was at that point that it became and adult education center. The most notable event to take place at Poynor was a banquet held in honor of President Howard Taft in 1910 (it unclear what the purpose of the banquet was).

Now an adult education center, the former Poynor Junior High School is the oldest school building still standing in Florence County. It was built in 1908 and has remained an important landmark for the city ever since. It is also an excellent example of Georgian Revival architecture and features a large portico with Ionic columns. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Poynor Junior High School

Florena Budwin was the bride of a captain from Pennsylvania. After 
Captain Budwin joined the federal forces, his bride disguised herself as
 a man and donned a uniform, hoping to find her husband. She was 
captured near Charleston, S.C., in 1864 and sent to Florence in the 
autumn of that year. After arriving at the stockade with thousands of 
other Union troops, she took sick as the rations were meager and medical
 supplies scarce. While the camp physician was making a routine 
examination, he found that one of his patients was a woman. She was 
moved to separate quarters and given food and clothing by the 
sympathetic women of Florence. When she recovered, she told a most 
remarkable story of how she had donned a federal uniform so as to serve 
by the side of her husband, that her husband has been killed, and that 
she was captured. After Florena grew strong, she stayed on at the prison
 as a nurse, and her devotion for her husband was bestowed on the 
hundreds of soldiers who were suffering from lack of food and medicine. A
 few months later, she fell sick a second time and did not recover. She 
died on Jan. 25, 1865 (Section D, Grave 2480).

The land that was used to create Florence National Cemetery was appropriated, and later purchased, from the estate of a local resident who lived in the vicinity of a prisoner of war camp operated by the Confederate military. Original interments were made in two separate burial grounds, one containing 416 Union veterans. The second contained the remains of approximately 2,322 soldiers who perished in the Confederate prisoner of war camp. Interments at the larger site were made in 16 trenches. In 1865, this site was designated as a national cemetery and the remains from the smaller burial ground were reinterred withing the boundaries of the present location. Remains were also disinterred and moved to the cemetery from the surrounding region. The original wooden headboards marking the trench graves were replaced by 2,167 marble "unknown" head blocks measuring 6 x 6 inches square and set approximately six inches apart. In 1955, all but five of these markers were replaced with 32 upright marble headstones at each end of the trenches.

Florence National Cemetery

The Confederates built Florence Stockade to house most of the prisoners who had been incarcerated at southern prisons, including the notorious Andersonville camp in Georgia. The prisoners were moved here because Union forces, led by General William T. Sherman, had recently captured Atlanta in early September and were making their way to Savannah, Georgia on Sherman's "March to the Sea" campaign. Confederates were concerned that Sherman would attack the Andersonville prison and free the troops there. The site for the Florence Stockade was a large field surrounded by swamps and pine forests. At the time, Florence was the intersection of three rail lines, so transporting prisoners and supplies there was simple. Around a 1,000 slaves from nearby plantations built the camp from September to November. However, the first 6,000 prisoners arrived on September 15th and were forced to stay in a nearby field. Only 100 soldiers and local guarded them. Some managed to escape but were soon caught. For shelter, the prisoners in the camp were forced to dig burrows and cover them with pine tree branches. Some were able to build tents using material they brought with them. In January 1865, the prisoners who were the most seriously injured or ill were freed in prisoner exchanges. As the weeks passed, Sherman's army was advancing north into South Carolina after seizing Savannah in late December. They were near Columbia, which is 100 miles west of Florence, by February. As a result, the Confederates had nowhere to send the prisoners at the Florence Stockade and made the decision to free them. The first group was freed on parole (meaning that they could not fight for the Union again) beginning on February 15th. In the coming weeks, all of the prisoners were freed. Those who died at the camp were buried in mass graves at what is now <a href="https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/florence.asp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Florence National Cemetery</a>. The Florence Stockade site was largely forgotten for over a century but was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It opened to the public in 2008.

From September 1864 to February 1865, this site was the location of one of the largest prisoner-of-war camps in the country during the Civil War (1861-1865). Called the Florence Stockade, it was a Confederate camp and between 15,000 and 18,000 Union troops were imprisoned here. The camp was rectangle in shape at 1,400 feet long and 735 feet wide, encompassing an area of 23.5 acres. The walls were built using vertical timbers sunk into the ground and each corner had a raised platform for artillery. Confederate guards manned an earthen rampart that surrounded the walls on the outer side. A ditch surrounded the entire camp, which was an open stockade; there was no shelter. Like at all prisons during the war, the troops imprisoned here suffered greatly from the weather, lack of food, disease and poor sanitation. As a result, around 2,800 died. Today, the site features a parking area, a gazebo with interpretive signs, and an interpretive walking trail. 

Florence South Carolina Walking Tour

Florence Public Library

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information