STUNNING! HISTORIC LEXINGTON SITES PROVE CENTER OF SC HISTORY

Historian, Michael Jeffcoat and other research-members of The Big Pond Branch Historical Research Society did not expect to uncover that a part of the old Orangeburgh District, now part of Lexington County, would yield such historic treasures when they started various projects not so long ago. Just recently, the discovery of The Indian Head and The Congaree Cone were believed to be the icing on the cake to the discovery of the previously unknown colonial settlement, Big Pond Branch, which received historic recognition in 2013. The Indian Head and The Congaree Cone are now attracting attention from across the United States. However, just this week, documents and information reveal that this "forgotten"  part of old Orangeburgh District/Lexington County and South Carolina history which has been overlooked by local and South Carolina historians for hundreds of years was at the heart of the state's earliest history in the 1600s. These location along the ancient Mississippian trading path which led from Charleston as far west as the Rio Grande, were literally at the heart of the state's early economy and attracted the most influential men of many periods spanning hundreds of years.  As early as the 1540s, to the 1670s, to the 1710s, to the 1730s and to 1800 and beyond, the area and its quiet population were at the center of influence which shaped outcomes for men like de Soto, Stephen Bull and members of the Bull political dynasty and, Presidents - Washngton, Monroe, Jackson and Lincoln.

Ultimately, as an act of preservation of this important place/history and perhaps as an honor of South Carolina's greatest political dynasty, the Bull Family, this important area became entombed and frozen in time by the formation of Bull Swamp Township in the late 19th century. Bull Swamp had once been  a larger swampy, backcountry area that span below present day Orangeburg to near Sandy Run and down below the north fork of the Edisto River. The Native Americans were extremely important to the Bull Family even through the Native Americans had vanished from the region by the middle of the 18th century, This vast swampy area once inhabited by the Creek Indians of Mississippian descent had been named for Stephen Bull's affection for these people. The land ,because of its ideal conditions, yield endless supply to the fur trade for along time. As the political climate changed and the royal townships moved in, Bull Swamp became chopped up except for the special region surrounding THE INDIAN HEAD in the heart of THE CONGAREE CONE, in present day Lexington County at the heart of the state of South Carolina. The Bull Family Dynasty received a final honor in the form of preservation of THE INDIAN HEAD site and these people through the creation of Bull Swamp Township which is Swansea, SC. The ancient Mississippian trading path led directly from the back door of Stephen Bull's Ashley River plantation to The Indian Head and The Big Pond Branch Settlement at the heart of Bull Swamp and of South Carolina.

This is our Lexington and South Carolina heritage, right here, in our own backyard!  

A special presentation of this material will be made on the evening of 11 March 2014 at the Lexington County Library Main Branch. Check the library's schedule for details!