Blackville: Town of the Phoenix

Front: Blackville was founded in 1833 as the first overnight stop on the new railroad operated by the S.C. Canal & Railroad Co. It was also the scene of 4 major fires in the late 19th century (in 1865, 1876, 1887, and 1888), each of which almost destroyed the town. Editor A. E. Gonzales nicknamed Blackville "The Town of the Phoenix" in 1889 in honor of its ability to rise again and again from the ashes and rebuild. Reverse: Early on February 7, 1865, Federal cavalry under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick advanced to Blackville from Barnwell. Col. Thomas J. Jordan's brigade attacked a Confederate cavalry brigade under Col. James Hagan, drove it through the town and three miles beyond, and captured many prisoners, scattering the rest. Kilpatrick destroyed the railroad at Blackville and advanced west to Reynolds Station, between Blackville and Williston, that night.