Alcolu, South Carolina

Alcolu, South Carolina
Census-designated place
Alcolu
Alcolu
Coordinates: 33°45′04″N 80°12′51″W / 33.75111°N 80.21417°W / 33.75111; -80.21417Coordinates: 33°45′04″N 80°12′51″W / 33.75111°N 80.21417°W / 33.75111; -80.21417
Country United States
State South Carolina
County Clarendon
Area[1]
 • Total 4.570 sq mi (11.84 km2)
 • Land 4.549 sq mi (11.78 km2)
 • Water 0.021 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation 125 ft (38 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 429
 • Density 94/sq mi (36.4/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 29001
Area code(s) 803
GNIS feature ID 1230998[2]

Alcolu is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 429.[3] Alcolu has a post office with ZIP code 29001, which opened on August 17, 1888.[4][5] It developed as a lumber and mill town.

History

Alcolu was established between 1885 and 1890 by D.W. Alderman as a small company mill town; it housed the employees of his timber company and lumber mill. The name Alcolu is derived from "AL" for Alderman, "CO" for Coldwell (a friend), and "LU" for Lula, the only daughter of the Aldermans at that time.

When it was built, Alcolu was a company town where everybody worked in one of the various businesses of D.W. Alderman & Sons. The business grew to encompass logging operations, a saw mill, planing mill, hosiery mill, flooring mill, and extensive farming and cattle ranching. They also ran a cotton gin, hotel, company store, and several other businesses.

Over time, the company helped found schools and churches, and built baseball fields, an electric plant, and a telephone system for the town. D.W. Alderman also founded the Alcolu and the Paroda railroads, and built the Alcolu railroad depot. The Alcolu Post Office was established on August 17, 1888. Algernon Coldwell was appointed as its first Postmaster.

Company employees were paid in 'babbits,' a metal coin stamped with an "A", which could be used in the company store. There they could buy groceries, see the doctor, get a haircut, or watch a show in the 200-seat auditorium upstairs. In 1919, the company opened the "Alderman 20 Stores in One" in nearby Manning, South Carolina. It was one of the first department stores in South Carolina and boasted of having the first elevator in town.

In 1947, the mill was sold by the Alderman family to the Southern Coatings & Chemical Company and the Williams Furniture Company. They, in turn, were bought more than two decades later in 1968 by the Georgia-Pacific company. Georgia-Pacific continued its operations in Alcolu until 2000, when the mill was finally closed. According to the 2010 census, the unincorporated town of Alcolu had a population of 429 people.

Geography

Alcolu is located in northern Clarendon County, 4 miles (6 km) north of Manning, the county seat. The southern edge of the CDP follows Interstate 95, which provides access at Exit 122. I-95 leads northeast 44 miles (71 km) to Florence and southwest 24 miles (39 km) to Santee. U.S. Route 521 runs through Alcolu, leading south to Manning and northwest 16 miles (26 km) to Sumter.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Alcolu CDP has a total area of 4.57 square miles (11.84 km2), of which 4.55 square miles (11.78 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.06 km2), or 0.47%, is water.[3]

Notable person

References

  1. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  2. ↑ "Alcolu". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  3. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Alcolu CDP, South Carolina". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ United States Postal Service (2012). "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Retrieved 2012-02-15.
  5. ↑ "Postmaster Finder - Post Offices by ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
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