Tracing Back the History of Tatum
Ever interested in the history of the tiny town of Tatum, South Carolina? Named after Richard Tatum, who moved here from North Carolina and would become a successful farmer, this Marlboro County community boasts a robust backstory, which we’ll guide you through in its centuries-long storied timeline.
1869
Originally named Hamer, the town’s first house is built on land owned by the Hamer family. Another name used for a brief time pre-Tatum was Mt. Washington.
1884
The railroad that runs through Tatum is built; before that, the town’s only “landmark” was a rural crossroads. The rail service through Tatum included four passenger trains daily between Fayetteville and Bennettsville. There was a large freight depot and a full-time freight agent.
1889
Tatum becomes home to Marlboro County’s first high school, The Tatum Academy, a consolidation of six smaller schools. The school’s headmaster, Daniel Roper, carries quite an impressive historical track record in itself. The Tatum native would later become Postmaster General of the United States, Secretary of the IRS, Ambassador to Canada during World War I, and Secretary of Commerce under President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of Roosevelt’s “brain trust.”
1900
Tatum evolves into a thriving, affluent town, complete with a block of brick stores that housed a bank, drug store, grocery stores, and general stores. Later, two cotton gins, a tomato cannery, and a Venetian blind tape-weaving plant would be open for business here. For years, Tatum was widely known for its several large regionally-known antique stores at the crossroads. Industry arrived in Tatum when R.J. Tatum Tobacco Factory began operation at the site of today’s Tatum Cemetery.
1906
The Manship Farmstead, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, is built by Charles Manship as an agricultural complex of seven buildings and passed down through six generations of the family. The farmstead includes the main house, tobacco barn, warehouse, outbuildings, and more. It’s one of the few intact rural agricultural complexes from this time in the Pee Dee.
1911
Originally the Beauty Spot Methodist Church, the Tatum Methodist Church moves to the location in this year. The church building, its recreational building, and parsonage survive today.
1918
The Spanish influenza epidemic spreads through Tatum. The town’s cemeteries are filled with most of the prominent men of the town who succumbed to the epidemic.
1930s
The Tatum schools are combined with the McColl schools.
2000
As of the 2000 census, Tatum is still small in stature, with a total population of 69 people within its 0.9 square miles.
Thank you to our sponsors:
PROPERTY EMPIRE | Michael Real Estate Group – assisting sellers & buyers of homes & land across Marlboro, Chesterfield, and Darlington County. Visit – www.propertyempire.com
HELP FOR LANDOWNERS – Assisting Veterans, historically underserved, and socially disadvantaged landowners with creating income from their plot. Visit – www.helpforlandowners.org
SOCIETY HILL GENERAL STORE – Your anything & everything store, in the former Coker & Rogers building, Society Hill. Coming Soon! Visit – www.societyhillgeneralstore.com
TREELY – Connecting People, Plots, and Practices So All Can Grow Profit. An app for landowners and land professionals. Visit – www.treely.com
