ORANGEBURG COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC

The Salley Archive building is located at the corner of Middleton and Bull Streets and is owned and operated by the Society. The archive was constructed in the 1960’s with seed funds designated by South Carolina’s first archivist and historian, Alex. S. Salley, Jr., who was a native of Orangeburg.

Genealogical files at the archives comprise information on more than 4000 Orangeburg County surnames. Historic documentation files are also maintained with information about the government, buildings, homes, churches, schools, businesses, organizations, and activities of Orangeburgers.

A collection of artifacts and original documents from Orangeburg’s varied past are also housed at the Archives.

Orangeburgh (as it was spelled at the time) Judicial District was formed in 1769 from an unorganized upland area between the Congaree and Savannah Rivers. A county, initially of the same name but later Orange, was organized but disorganized in 1791. The southwest half of Orangeburg District bordering on the Savannah River was separated as Barnwell District in 1800. In 1804 the northern third of the county was separated and formed Lexington District.

The original township, along the banks of the Edisto River, was 20,000 acres in size. The earliest settler families were given an incentive of 50 acres per head and provisions for one year before departing from Charles Town. The first groups of German and Swiss settlers arrived in 1735 and made homes among a few settlers who had come earlier and the native Indian tribes.