Marlboro County, South Carolina

Marlboro County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census recorded its population to be 28,933. Its county seat is Bennettsville. The Great Pee Dee River runs through it.

Marlboro County comprises the Bennettsville, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Among its residents are the state-recognized Pee Dee Tribe of South Carolina (2006) and the Pee Dee Indian Nation of Upper South Carolina (2005). The first is based in McColl as is the Marlboro, Chesterfield, Darlington County Pee Dee Indian Tribe, which separated from the second listed Pee Dee tribe. Nearly 5% of the county population identify as Pee Dee people.

History

Succeeding indigenous peoples occupied this area for thousands of years. At the time of European encounter, the inhabitants of the area were the historic Pee Dee. Some had moved into this area from the Lowcountry as a result of colonial pressures along the coast. They are believed to have spoken either a Siouan language, as did tribes in the Piedmont, or one of the Algonquian languages family, which were common among coastal peoples. Descendants identifying as Pee Dee still live in the county and region. More recent research suggests they were based in this area, as part of a group called the South Appalachian Mississippian culture.