Manning is officially historic!

It’s so hot outside, it feels like the sky is about to explode. You’re on Brooks Street, and have just passed the courthouse. Nothing seems to be amiss except for the fact that a Southern Belle in a big hoop dress is sitting next to you, glistening with perspiration, and what you’re holding in your hand is not a steering wheel, but two leather reigns. You unconsciously yell “giddyup!” and the two horses convert into Hwy. 260, and you are back in your car with the air conditioner blowing and the radio blaring.

Maybe you’ve never experienced a flashback in time such as this, but at least now you can appreciate the fact that our county seat is historic … truly historic. The City of Manning’s downtown commercial district, as of May 28, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

“I think the folks from this area understand how historically relevant we are, and this gives us the chance for the entire nation to recognize us in that endeavor,” said Manning Mayor Kevin L. Johnson. “I want to thank all the people who finally made this happen for us.”

Heading up the application process was Janet Meleney, former Clarendon County Archives and History Center Director, Andrew W. Chandler and Tracey Power, two employees of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History who coordinated with the National Register Program, and Dr. Eric Plaag, an advisory historical consultant.

“The idea has been around for about 15 years now, but the official application process didn’t begin until two years ago,” Meleney said. 

She said that the first step was to determine which buildings were truly historic. Meleney and Chandler walked around the city’s commercial district, stopping at each building along the way. They considered each structure carefully, eventually coming up with 43 buildings, a total of nine blocks of commercial district. This included portions of Brooks, Boyce, Mill, Rigby and Keitt Streets.

“You can tell by looking at a building if it is historic by what changes it has undergone, by looking at its windows, bricks, roof, etc.,” she said. “The most important thing, though, is how much of the original integrity it has kept.”   

Next, Meleney and Plaag went through dozens of documents on each building, from its construction date, to ownership, to uses and any other relevant, historic information.

“The archives was collecting material that was relevant to this project for many years,” she said. “We went through many maps, newspaper articles and photographs.”

Some material also came from the state archives in Columbia. Once all the information had been collected, it was written up and submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), who along with the state’s National Register Review Board, approved it. It was then sent on to the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. for final review and listed by the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places.

Meleney said that it was a challenge, at times, finding documents on the buildings. A fire in 1895 and a tornado in 1915 destroyed part of the downtown area. Many structures had to be rebuilt.

“A lot of buildings were combined, some were partially torn down and others were totally destroyed,” she said.

The project was a part of the master plan for the City of Manning, created with a goal to revitalize the downtown area. Main Street Manning, an organization focused on bringing back business and people to the center of town, came out of this plan.

“We’re looking at this as an economic boost,” said Marie Land, who along with Jeffrey Black is co-chair of Main Street Manning. “People will come to visit historic districts.” 

Land said that the goal is to eventually have a walking tour in Manning.