Ridgeland

Front: Ridgeland, named for its location on the ridge between Charleston and Savannah, has been the seat of Jasper County since the county was created in 1912. It was first named Gopher Hill and grew up around a depot built on the Charleston & Savannah RR in 1860. The tracks were the boundary line between Beaufort and Hampton counties, and Ridgeland belonged to two counties until 1912. Reverse: Chartered and incorporated in 1894, Ridgeland had a population of about 500 when it became the new seat of Jasper County in 1912. The Georgian Revival courthouse was designed by William Augustus Edwards and built in 1915. U.S. Hwy. 17, constructed through Ridgeland in the 1920s, has long brought many visitors through the town on their trips to and through the lowcountry.