The Hampton and Branchville Railroad and Lumber Company was a shortline railroad that served Western South Carolina in the early 20th century.

The Hampton and Branchville Railroad and Lumber Company was chartered by the South Carolina General Assembly

South Carolina General Assembly

The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and the upper South Carolina Senate. Altogether, the General...

 in 1891. The charter called for the carrier to build a line the Savannah River

Savannah River

The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...

 below Hamburg, South Carolina, through the town of Hampton, South Carolina

Hampton, South Carolina

Hampton is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hampton County.-Geography:Hampton is located at ....

, and the counties of Hampton, Colleton, and Orangeburg. It also was to extend onto Sumter, South Carolina

Sumter, South Carolina

-Demographics:, there were 59,180 people, 34,717 households, and 4,049 families living in the city. The population density was 4,469.5 people per square mile . There were 416,032 housing units at an average density of 603.0 per square mile...

.

The first records of the carrier date from January 1, 1901, at which time its line stretched from Hampton to a connection with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...

 Branchville Junction, South Carolina, 16 miles away. By 1909, an eight-mile extension from Hampton to Smoaks, South Carolina

Smoaks, South Carolina

Smoaks is a town in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 140 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Smoaks is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

, was completed and opened for operation.

The Hampton and Branchville Railroad and Lumber Company changed its name to the Hampton and Branchville Railroad

Hampton and Branchville Railroad

The Hampton and Branchville Railroad is a South Carolina railroad that has served the western part of the state since the 1920s.The Hampton and Branchville Railroad is a successor of the Hampton and Branchville Railroad and Lumber Company, which was chartered by the South Carolina General Assembly...

 in the 1920s. Today, the Hampton and Branchville operates freight services from a CSX connection at Hampton to Canadys, South Carolina, about 40 miles away.

The line is owned by the Lightsey family.