Summerville SC Real Estate
The town's name is evocative of its history. Situated on a pine-forested
ridge, it was first inhabited in the late 1700's as Charlestonians and other
inhabitants of the SC Lowcountry sought respite from the summer heat,
mosquitos and disease. From May to September plantation families along
the nearby Ashley River and other coastal areas, headed for higher
elevation to live temporarily or "maroon," in the tiny forest colony
soon dubbed Summerville. Other pioneer residents descended from those
1696 puritans who settled the nearby former colonial settlement of
Dorchester, endowing Summerville with a heritage spanning three centuries.
Modernization came to Summerville with the arrival of the railroad in the early
1800's and led the village to incorporation. Trees were being cut in
large numbers for laying rails and the clearing of lots to relocate
the commercial center near the tracks. To protect Summerville's biggest
asset, the village became an official town in 1847, passing a first law
prohibiting the cutting of certain-sized trees without permission, and
fining offenders a then hefty $25. That ordinance, one of the oldest of
its kind in the United States, is still on the books.
The last decade of the 19th century saw two of the worst local events,
followed by one of the best pieces of luck ever to befall a struggling
community. While still recovering from the War Between the States,
Summerville suffered extensive destruction during the 1886 earthquake,
followed by a downtown fire which wiped out most of the buildings
surrounding the town square. The good fortune stemmed from Paris,
France, when the International Congress of Physicians declared
Summerville as one of the two best places in the world for the
treatment and recovery of lung disorders. Such belief was founded
in the purported healing aspects of that tree's turpentine scent.
This led to the building of inns and hotels to handle the mass of
visitors, who first came for their health and then discovering the
comeliness of the town, built winter homes and often became permanent
residents.
Summerville's beauty is mirrored in her motto,
"The Flower Town in the Pines." Since the early 1900's day tourists have
flocked to the town during early spring to enjoy millions of spring blossoms,
particularly azaleas, in private and public gardens, including the mid-town
Azalea Park. It's no wonder perhaps that the motto on the town's official seal
is "Sacra Pinus Esto- The Pine is Sacred".
Despite the publicity and the development it spurred, the town's population
hovered around 3,000 for nearly a century, not reaching 6,000 until the
late 1970's. Then, as a bedroom community for the larger urban centers
in the area, the charm of Summerville resulted in a doubling of the
population in the 1980's. It continues to attract families, business
people and military personnel, all looking for a quality of life that
has long since disappeared in cities. The 2000 Census declared that the
Town of Summerville's population was 27,752.
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