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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.3795 Type of Legislation:Concurrent Resolution CR Introducing Body:House Introduced Date:20010322 Primary Sponsor:Miller All Sponsors:Miller and Snow Drafted Document Number:l:\council\bills\swb\5270djc01.doc Date Bill Passed both Bodies:20010329 Subject:Georgetown County Pride Month, April designated as; Resolutions History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ House 20010329 Received from Senate Senate 20010328 Adopted, returned to House with concurrence Senate 20010328 Polled out of Committee: Favorable 10 SI Senate 20010322 Introduced, referred to Committee 10 SI House 20010322 Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate Versions of This Bill
TO DECLARE APRIL AS "GEORGETOWN COUNTY PRIDE MONTH" IN ORDER TO COMMEMORATE THE HISTORY, ACHIEVEMENTS, ATTRACTIONS, AND SUCCESS OF GEORGETOWN COUNTY, AND TO RECOGNIZE THE HARD WORK OF THE PEOPLE OF GEORGETOWN COUNTY IN MAKING GEORGETOWN COUNTY A SOURCE OF PRIDE TO ITS PEOPLE AND TO ALL OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
Whereas, the tidelands of Georgetown County, South Carolina, hosted its earliest native American inhabitants over 50,000 years ago. The first Europeans in the area were the Spanish who came in 1526 and settled on the banks of Winyah Bay. The Spanish settlement failed and by the mid-1600's English and French outposts sprang up and trade was established with the native, nomadic peoples with names like Pee Dee, Wee Nee, Waccamaw, Winyah, Santee, Hop, and See Wee; and
Whereas, Georgetown County and its county seat, Georgetown, were named for King George II of England. As the state's third oldest city, Georgetown dates back to 1729 when the town was laid out by Elisha Screven. By that time Georgetown was already a busy seaport with inland produce and cargo, naval stores, pitch, turpentine, rosin, and timber for shipbuilding. Trade between the new world and the old increased. Imports and exports created great wealth. The King's "Collector of Customs" arrived in Georgetown in 1732. At one point as many as two thousand pirates plundered the merchant ships up and down the coast. By the middle of the eighteenth century, Georgetown County was predominantly an indigo and rice planting region. With the coming of indigo, rice, and other agricultural pursuits, a grand plantation style of life unfolded in Georgetown County including an aristocratic society of plantation owners; and
Whereas, like many others in the English colonies, the prominent and influential planters of Georgetown County resented the burden of taxation placed on their imports and exports by England and joined in the Revolution. Thomas Lynch, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence, built his home, Hopseewee, on the Santee River in Georgetown County. Christopher Gadsden, a general of the Revolutionary War was famous for the "Don't Tread On Me" flag that bears his name, owned Beneventum Plantation in Georgetown County. Francis Marion, the legendary "Swamp Fox", and his valiant if ragged band of men handily defeated the British in the area, and was recognized by no less a figure than George Washington in 1791, while on his southern tour, from the steps of the Masonic Lodge in Georgetown. Like their valiant forefathers, the sons and daughters of Georgetown County and the county seat of Georgetown have served with honor and distinction in all American wars since the American Revolution. Today, the sons and daughters of Georgetown County are still proudly serving around the world as members of the Armed Forces of the United States; and
Whereas, other famous South Carolinians who were residents of Georgetown County include artist Washington Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851), Congressman, Secretary of War, and Ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the Poinsettia to the United States; and Joseph Hayne Rainey (1832-1887), the first African-American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; and
Whereas, the early part of the twentieth century saw Georgetown County flourish as a hunting preserve for the rich and powerful, from presidents and politicians, to industrialists and movie stars. Hobcaw Barony became such a retreat, created by native son Bernard Baruch, who enjoyed the visits of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Vanderbilt, DuPont, and many others. Today, Georgetown County remains a hunting and fishing paradise; and
Whereas, Georgetown County and Georgetown proudly boast of many attractions, the historical benchmarks of the life and times of their people over many years, including the Charles Fyffe House, c. 1765, the Red Store-Tarbox Warehouse, the Winyah Indigo Society Hall, c. 1853, the Morgan-Ginsler House, c. 1825, the Kaminski House, c. 1770, the Henning-Miller House, c. 1800, the Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church, c. 1750, the Georgetown County Courthouse, c. 1824, the Rice Museum, c. 1835, Battery White, and Belle Isle Plantation Gardens, which is a national landmark. Other significant attractions include The Strand, Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach, the "seafood capital" of Murrells Inlet, Brookgreen Gardens, and the Hobcaw Barony Visitor Center; and
Whereas, Georgetown County has a diverse population in excess of 55,000 people and is still growing. Manufacturing is one of the primary means of employment in Georgetown County and approximately 30.7 percent of the employed population is engaged in manufacturing. Other Georgetown County industries employ 27.4 percent of the employed population in retail trade, 26.3 percent in services, 6.1 percent in construction, 4.1 percent in finance, insurance, and real estate, 2.2 percent in wholesale trade, 2.1 percent in transportation and public utilities, and 1.1 percent in agricultural services. Per capita personal income of residents of Georgetown County increased from $14,941 in 1990 to $21,207 in 1998. The median family income in Georgetown County increased from $16,541 in 1979 to $36,500 in 2000; and
Whereas, the Port of Georgetown is one of South Carolina's three principal ports and is designated by the State Ports Authority as South Carolina's dedicated break bulk and bulk facility. In 1998, Georgetown handled more than 1.5 million tons of cargo, a new port record. Top commodities passing through the port are steel, salt, cement, aggregates, and forest products; and
Whereas, chartered in 1917, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce is one of the oldest chambers of commerce in the United States and is now servicing over six hundred businesses in the county and striving to attract new business and citizens to the area. Three main highways pass through Georgetown County, U.S. 17, U.S. 701, and U.S. 521, with I-26 and I-95 approximately sixty miles away. Rail services include CSX and 31 freight carriers. Commercial air facilities are thirty-five miles away at the Myrtle Beach Jetport and the local Georgetown County Airport has a runway length of 5,000 feet; and
Whereas, Georgetown County is already home to several large industries, including a major craft paper manufacturer and one of the world's most profitable steel wire production facilities and numerous diversified industrial and manufacturing concerns. Advanced communications and utilities at affordable rates (less than six cents per kilowatt hour) are already in place for both business and residential expansion. Georgetown County will develop five industrial parks for new tenants and offers a splendid climate for industrial and economic growth; and
Whereas, the good people of Georgetown County and its county seat of Georgetown have a rich past, a promising future, and much to be proud of. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the General Assembly, by this resolution, declare April as "Georgetown County Pride Month" in order to commemorate the history, achievements, attractions, and success of Georgetown County, and recognize the hard work of the people of Georgetown County in making Georgetown County a source of pride to its people and to all of South Carolina.
Be it further resolved that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Georgetown County Council and to the Mayor of Georgetown.
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