Abbeville

History

Abbeville was established by French Huguenots in 1764, Abbeville has the unique distinction of being both the birthplace and the deathbed of the Confederacy. On November 22, 1860, a meeting was held at Abbeville, at a site since dubbed "Secession Hill", to launch South Carolina's secession from the Union; one month later, the state of South Carolina became the first state to secede. At the end of the Civil War, with the Confederacy in shambles, Confederate President Jefferson Davis fled Richmond, Virginia, and headed south, stopping for a night in Abbeville at the home of his friend Armistead Burt. It was on May 2, 1865, in the front parlor of what is now known as the Burt-Stark Mansion that Jefferson Davis officially acknowledged the dissolution of the Confederate government, in the last official cabinet meeting. In February 2007, Steven Bixby was convicted on 17 counts including the two murders, as well as lesser charges of kidnapping and conspiracy. He was given two death sentences for the murders plus 125 years in prison on the other charges.

Geography

Abbeville is located within the Piedmont Upland geographical region. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.19%, is water. In the winter highs are in the low- to mid-50s and lows are right around freezing, seldom dropping below . Precipitation is well distributed throughout the year. Afternoon thunderstorms are a common occurrence in the summer months and can bring heavy winds and lightning. Snow is rare, falling every few years. On March 31, 1973, an F4 tornado struck Abbeville and killed 7 people, making it the deadliest single tornado in 1973. The area was struck by two tornadoes on April 10, 2009. No fatalities were recorded, but the majority of the city lost power and many buildings sustained significant damage.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,151
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,519
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  2,444
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,359
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,302
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,162
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,071
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,935

Most recent

• M 2.54 — 2025-08-23
  4 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 3.04 — 2025-08-23
  3 km N of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 2.88 — 2025-08-23
  3 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 2.7 — 2025-07-05
  11 km ENE of Parksville, South Carolina
• M 2.53 — 2024-10-13
  3 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 2.57 — 2021-05-31
  4 km SW of Summit, South Carolina