Hartsville is the largest city in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. It was chartered on December 11, 1891. As of the 2020 census, Hartsville had a population of 7,446. By Zip code (City Data and South Carolina Demographics) the population of Greater Hartsville is approximately 30,000. Hartsville was chosen as an All-America City in 1996 and again in 2016. Hartsville has also been a National Arbor Day Foundation Tree City since 1986.
Hartsville is home of Coker University and a branch of Florence–Darlington Technical College. It is also the home of the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics, a public boarding high school.
The city is served by the Hartsville Regional Airport.
Hartsville is home to several major corporations including Sonoco Products Company, Duke Energy's H. B. Robinson Nuclear Generating Station, Novolex, and Stingray Boats. History The area surrounding Hartsville was once home to several Native American tribes, including the Pee Dee, Catawba, Chicora, Edisto, Sane, and Chicora-Waccamaw, who inhabited the region until European settlers arrived.
Hartsville's first settlement began around 1760. The town is named for Captain Thomas E. Hart, who eventually owned most of the land in the community. Hart started a successful mercantile business, but lost his business and his land during the economic depression of 1837–1838.
In 1845, Thomas Hart's son, John Lide Hart, purchased of land in what is now downtown Hartsville from Colonel Law. John Hart went on to establish a carriage factory, steam-powered saw mill, grist mill, general store, and Hartsville Baptist Church. Caleb Coker purchased the carriage factory for his son James Lide Coker in 1855.
James Lide Coker came to Hartsville in 1857 with plans to implement new farming methods he had learned at Harvard College. This was interrupted by the start of the Civil War, in which he became a major for the Confederacy. He returned to Hartsville injured and found that his plantation was in shambles. He planned to reconstruct his plantation and bring prosperity to the town of Hartsville. Major Coker established Welsh Neck High School, which later became Coker University. He also established a seed company, oil mill, fertilizer plant, the Coker and Company General Store, a bank, and the Southern Novelty Company, now known as Sonoco Products Company. Even with his own successes in business, Coker and his family were unable to convince other business owners in the area to build a railroad spur, so they decided to build their own, which became the Hartsville Railroad, completed in 1889.
The Town of Hartsville received its first charter on December 11, 1891, during a period of bustling economic activity and growth.
The railroad eventually became part of the South Carolina Central Railroad, and the Southern Novelty Company and Carolina Fiber Company merged to form Sonoco Products Company. Sonoco eventually expanded to a global scale and became a Fortune 500 company.
1968 Hartsville two-car collision
At approximately 11:30 PM on Saturday, December 21, 1968, three young men were travelling northbound along South Carolina Highway 151 in a 1964 model car when as they were attempting to negotiate a "blind" curve, their vehicle suddenly merged into the opposite lane, causing a head-on collision with a 1965 model car that was driving southbound carrying five other young men. While seven of the eight victims were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, a 17-year-old boy was the only survivor despite being severely injured. The county's worst vehicular accident in its history sent shockwaves across South Carolina and across the country.
In an investigation made and concluded by the Darlington County Police Department, the primary cause of the accident was the driver's failure of judgement via speeding and failing to negotiate a curve.
List of mayors of Hartsville, South Carolina Hartsville's first Mayor was Wiley Kelly "W. K." Bell, sworn in during 1892 just after the City was chartered. He served a partial term before being proceeded by Major James Lide Coker. #MayorSworn inLeft officeComments1Wiley Kelly Bell18921892June 5, 1846 - November 25, 1899.2James Lide Coker18921894Major Coker served in the Confederate Army in the American Civil War and was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1864 before moving to Hartsville. January 3, 1837 - June 25, 1918.3J.S. White189518964J.E. Bass189618965C.J. Woodrow189718976J.S. White189819007D.R. Coker190019018Murray Smith McKinnon19021903March 19, 1872 - January 14, 1938.9H.A. Edwards1904190610C.W. Coker1907190811Murray Smith McKinnon19091910March 19, 1872 - January 14, 1938.12E.A. Miller1911191613Lemuel Butts Stephenson, V19191920February 29, 1880 - May 15, 1956.14P.H. Rogers1921192615W.D. Arthur1927193016Rankin Eugene Sowell19311934October 15, 1891 - June 12, 1967.17C.H. Campbell1935193818L.H. Stokes1939194419G.J. Lawton1945194620Robert Wallace Shand19471948August 24, 1905 - September 10, 1996.21R.B. White1949195422P. Wilmeth19551957October 24, 1920 - December 25, 1995.23Theodore Lawrence Maxwell19571963November 29, 1901 - March 23, 1989.24O.D. Kelly1963196525Robert King Bass19651973February 16, 1925 - May 2, 199926Dr. Glenn Johnston Lawhon, Jr.19731985July 3, 1925 - February 16, 2017.27Louis Matthew "Matt" Cannarella19851993October 16, 1954 - November 8, 201628Flora "Flossie" C. Hopkins19942001Mayor Hopkins was Hartsville's first female Mayor. April 12, 1939 - January 25, 2021.29William A. Gaskins20012005Councilman Gaskins defeated Councilman Franklin Hines in the general election to win the Mayor's seat.30Michael Shea Holt, Sr.20052009In August 2009, Mayor Holt accepted an appointment as a judge and vacated his seat. May 1, 1970 - July 28, 202431David L. McFarlandAug. 2009Nov. 2009In August 2009, Mayor Pro Tem McFarland became mayor for the remainder of Mayor Holt's term when Holt stepped down to accept an appointment as a judge. Mayor McFarland was Hartsville's first Black mayor.32Carl "Mel" M. Pennington, IVNov 10, 2009Dec 14, 2021Decided to not run for a fourth term as Mayor in 2021.33Casey G. HancockDec 14, 2021Dec 9, 2025Won the runoff election against challenger Justin Evans 55% to 45%.34Dan Gerald Askins, IIIDec 9, 2025IncumbentWon the election against incumbent Casey G. Hancock 54% to 46%.
Historic sites Locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
The Arcade Hotel E.W. Cannon House & Store Coker University Coker Experimental Farms J.L. Coker Company Building James L. Coker III House Robert R. Coker House S. Pressly Coker House
Davidson Hall C.K. Dunlap House East Home Avenue Historic District J.B. Gilbert House Thomas E. Hart House Hartsville Armory Hartsville Passenger Station Hartsville Post Office
Wade Hampton Hicks House Jacob Kelley House Lawton Park and Pavilion Magnolia Cemetery A.M. McNair House Memorial Hall Paul H. Rogers House West College Avenue Historic District
Locations recognized by the South Carolina Historical Markers Program as administered by the State Historic Preservation Office:
Arcade Hotel Butler School Carolina Fiber Co. / Sonoco Products Company Coker's Pedigreed Seed Company Damascus Methodist Church David Robert Coker Eastern Carolina Silver Company First Baptist Church
Hough's Hotel Hartsville Colored Cemetery Hartsville Cotton Mill Hartsville Graded School Hartsville Oil Mill Hartsville Passenger Depot James Lide Coker Jerusalem Baptist Church
John L. Hart / John Hart House Primus Park St. Joseph's Catholic Church Thomas E. Hart House Welsh Neck High School / Coker College
Points of interest Center Theater Coker University Hartsville Museum Kalmia Gardens Sonoco Products
Geography Hartsville is located in northwestern Darlington County. U.S. Route 15 bypasses the city to the southeast; it leads northeast to Society Hill and to Laurinburg, North Carolina, and southwest to Sumter. South Carolina Highway 151 bypasses the city to the southwest; it leads southeast to Darlington, the county seat, and northwest to McBee. Columbia, the state capital, is to the southwest.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Hartsville has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.11%, is water. Prestwood Lake, an impoundment on Black Creek, is on the northern border of the city. Black Creek is part of the Pee Dee River watershed.
Climate Hartsville enjoys a mild climate year-round. It experiences 213 sunny days on average. The number of days with measurable precipitation is 106, and the city receives about of rainfall per year. The average low is in January, and the average high is in July. During the winter months, Hartsville can receive snowfall.Hartsville, South Carolina Climate. Bestplaces.net. Retrieved on April 29, 2016.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Hartsville had a population of 7,446, 3,008 households, and 1,860 families residing in the city.
The population density was 1,257.77 people per square mile.
The median age was 36.6 years, 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 77.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 71.1 males age 18 and over.
98.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,008 households in Hartsville, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.9% were married-couple households, 16.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 47.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 3,615 housing units, of which 16.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 14.4%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 3,813 51.2% Black or African American 3,167 42.5% American Indian and Alaska Native 12 0.2% Asian 93 1.2% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 5 0.1% Some other race 65 0.9% Two or more races 291 3.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 190 2.6% Economy Major employers in the area include Sonoco Products Company, Nucor Corporation, Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, Novolex, Stingray Boats, North Industrial Machine, and Duke Energy's H. B. Robinson Nuclear Generating Station.
At 4.3%, the unemployment rate is slightly higher than the national average of 3.9%. Job growth over the next decade is expected to be approximately 27.4% which is significantly lower than the US average of 33.5%. The household median income is $29,276/year which is significantly lower than the national median income of $53,482/year.Hartsville, South Carolina Economy. Bestplaces.net. Retrieved on December 11, 2019.
Arts and culture There are many festivals, parades, and other events that residents of Hartsville look forward to each year.
Annual events Screen on the Green is a summer event in which the city sets up a screen on the grounds of Burry Park and shows licensed movies. This is a family event that is free to the public. The Screen on the Green is sometimes held outside of its normal season, such as during the holidays.City of Hartsville – Screen on the Green. Hartsvillesc.gov (April 15, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-04-29. The "Hartsville Christmas Parade: a Miracle on Carolina Avenue" is an annual parade held in December of each year where members of numerous local and regional schools, businesses, and other organizations parade down the main street of the city. Santa Claus is usually found at the end of the parade as a symbol of Christmas coming soon.City of Hartsville – Hartsville Christmas Parade. Hartsvillesc.gov (April 15, 2016). Retrieved on 2016-04-29.