Yemassee, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
Yemassee is a town in Beaufort
and Hampton counties in the U.S. state
of South Carolina
. The population was 1,027 at the 2010 census. Yemassee is also very near the borders of Colleton and Jasper counties and is often considered to be the geographical center or heart of the Lowcountry region. The town is divided by the county line between Beaufort and Hampton counties, which follows the roadbed of the CSX railroad. Most of the town's population presently lies within Hampton County (as of 2006). As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Beaufort County portion of Yemassee is included within the Hilton Head Island
–Beaufort
Micropolitan Statistical Area
. Yemassee hosts one of the few commercial breeding facilities of non-human primates in the entire United States (Alpha Genesis, Inc.). Also, the Frank Lloyd Wright
-designed Auldbrass Plantation
house and outbuildings lie just outside the town limits of Yemassee.
tribe of the same name, the Yamasee
, which was the most important Indian ally of South Carolina until the Yamasee War
of 1715. The first attack that began the Yamasee War occurred in the Yamasee town of Pocotaligo, today part of the town of Yemassee.
The site of the present town is surrounded by both Revolutionary
and Civil War
sites. The remains of Civil War field fortifications can be observed along U.S. 21
and 17A
between Yemassee and Pocotaligo (that section of highway is now a part of Yemassee, as the town has now greatly expanded into Beaufort County [as of 2006]). As of 2006 there is a building boom underway in and around Yemassee. The rural aspect of Yemassee is now (as of 2006) beginning to disappear with the construction of large numbers of new homes and very large housing developments in the area.
William Gilmore Simms
published a novel, The Yemassee: A Romance of Carolina, in the nineteenth century, and the University of South Carolina
in Columbia publishes a literary journal named Yemassee
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 11.7 sqkm, all land.
of 2000, there were 807 people, 323 households, and 208 families residing in the town. The population density
was 179.7 people per square mile (69.4/km²). There were 378 housing units at an average density of 84.2 per square mile (32.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 43.25% White, 55.39% African American, 0.62% Asian, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 323 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples
living together, 24.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 80.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,868, and the median income for a family was $31,429. Males had a median income of $31,944 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,186. About 22.2% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.
(exits 33, 38 and 42), which runs to the west of the town limits. Alternate U.S. Highway 17
and U.S. Highway 21
run through the town. S.C. Highway 68 connects Yemassee with other communities in Hampton County, including Varnville
and Hampton
. The town is also home to an Amtrak station
, which serves as the principal rail access point for the Lowcountry region.
Beaufort County, South Carolina
-National protected areas:*Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge *Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 155,215 people, 45,532 households, and 33,056 families residing in the county. The population density was 206 people per...
and Hampton counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. The population was 1,027 at the 2010 census. Yemassee is also very near the borders of Colleton and Jasper counties and is often considered to be the geographical center or heart of the Lowcountry region. The town is divided by the county line between Beaufort and Hampton counties, which follows the roadbed of the CSX railroad. Most of the town's population presently lies within Hampton County (as of 2006). As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Beaufort County portion of Yemassee is included within the Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is north of Savannah, Georgia, and south of Charleston. The island gets its name from Captain William Hilton...
–Beaufort
Beaufort, South Carolina
Beaufort is a city in and the county seat of Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston. The city's population was 12,361 in the 2010 census. It is located in the Hilton Head Island-Beaufort Micropolitan...
Micropolitan Statistical Area
Hilton Head Island-Beaufort micropolitan area
The Hilton Head Island–Beaufort Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in South Carolina, anchored by the town of Hilton Head Island and the city of Beaufort....
. Yemassee hosts one of the few commercial breeding facilities of non-human primates in the entire United States (Alpha Genesis, Inc.). Also, the Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
-designed Auldbrass Plantation
Auldbrass Plantation
Auldbrass Plantation or Auldbrass is located in Beaufort County, South Carolina, near the town of Yemassee. The name is a variation of "Old Brass" which was the name given to the farmland and the local river landing. The earliest records from the farm are dated to 1736 when the farm was known as...
house and outbuildings lie just outside the town limits of Yemassee.
History
The town takes its name from the Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe of the same name, the Yamasee
Yamasee
The Yamasee were a multiethnic confederation of Native Americans that lived in the coastal region of present-day northern coastal Georgia near the Savannah River and later in northeastern Florida.-History:...
, which was the most important Indian ally of South Carolina until the Yamasee War
Yamasee War
The Yamasee War was a conflict between British settlers of colonial South Carolina and various Native American Indian tribes, including the Yamasee, Muscogee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Catawba, Apalachee, Apalachicola, Yuchi, Savannah River Shawnee, Congaree, Waxhaw, Pee Dee, Cape Fear, Cheraw, and...
of 1715. The first attack that began the Yamasee War occurred in the Yamasee town of Pocotaligo, today part of the town of Yemassee.
The site of the present town is surrounded by both Revolutionary
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
sites. The remains of Civil War field fortifications can be observed along U.S. 21
U.S. Route 21
U.S. Route 21 is a north–south United States highway of , from Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina to Wytheville, Virginia.-South Carolina:...
and 17A
U.S. Route 17 Alternate (South Carolina)
U.S. Route 17 Alternate is an alternate route of U.S. Route 17 in South Carolina that runs between Pocotaligo and Georgetown. It is long and has been four-laned in various segments since 1970.-Route description:...
between Yemassee and Pocotaligo (that section of highway is now a part of Yemassee, as the town has now greatly expanded into Beaufort County [as of 2006]). As of 2006 there is a building boom underway in and around Yemassee. The rural aspect of Yemassee is now (as of 2006) beginning to disappear with the construction of large numbers of new homes and very large housing developments in the area.
William Gilmore Simms
William Gilmore Simms
William Gilmore Simms was a poet, novelist and historian from the American South. His writings achieved great prominence during the 19th century, with Edgar Allan Poe pronouncing him the best novelist America had ever produced...
published a novel, The Yemassee: A Romance of Carolina, in the nineteenth century, and the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
in Columbia publishes a literary journal named Yemassee
Yemassee (journal)
Yemassee is a literary journal founded by Melanie Carter in 1993 and published by the Department of English of the University of South Carolina. Yemassee publishes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, and reviews. Yemassee hosts two annual contests: the William Richey Short Story Contest and the...
.
Geography
Yemassee is located at 32°41′41"N 80°51′11"W (32.694771, -80.853091).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 11.7 sqkm, all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 807 people, 323 households, and 208 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 179.7 people per square mile (69.4/km²). There were 378 housing units at an average density of 84.2 per square mile (32.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 43.25% White, 55.39% African American, 0.62% Asian, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.
There were 323 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 24.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 80.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,868, and the median income for a family was $31,429. Males had a median income of $31,944 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $14,186. About 22.2% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Yemassee is accessible from three exits along Interstate 95Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
(exits 33, 38 and 42), which runs to the west of the town limits. Alternate U.S. Highway 17
U.S. Route 17 Alternate (South Carolina)
U.S. Route 17 Alternate is an alternate route of U.S. Route 17 in South Carolina that runs between Pocotaligo and Georgetown. It is long and has been four-laned in various segments since 1970.-Route description:...
and U.S. Highway 21
U.S. Route 21
U.S. Route 21 is a north–south United States highway of , from Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina to Wytheville, Virginia.-South Carolina:...
run through the town. S.C. Highway 68 connects Yemassee with other communities in Hampton County, including Varnville
Varnville, South Carolina
Varnville is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,074 as of the 2000 census. The town is often twinned with Hampton, as the two communities are relatively close to another and often share civic and cultural events....
and Hampton
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 ....
. The town is also home to an Amtrak station
Yemassee (Amtrak station)
The Yemassee Amtrak station is an Amtrak station in Yemassee, South Carolina. Located at 15 Wall Street , the station consists of a covered platform on the northwest side of the northeast-southwest tracks, a small parking lot, and a building...
, which serves as the principal rail access point for the Lowcountry region.