The Town of Estill is located in the southern half of Hampton County, South Carolina. It traces its origins to the community of Lawtonville, which once stood about a mile to the west. Lawtonville was largely destroyed during the Civil War when Union Army divisions, part of the 15th Corps, passed through the area en-route from Savannah, Georgia, to North Carolina. After being rebuilt, the town suffered a second destruction—not from war, but from the unpredictable forces of capitalism and economic change.
The town of Estill is named for Colonel John Holbrook Estill, a key figure in its formation. In the early 1900s, the need for a rail line connecting Augusta, Georgia, to Savannah led to the construction of a new route by what would later become the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. As a result, the community of Lawtonville was displaced, and in 1905, the new town was incorporated as Estill, replacing the old name altogether.
* Photos by Carl Norton courtesy of Shari Pevey.