McBee

History

McBee was named after a railroad executive, V.E. "Bunch" McBee, born July 26, 1849, in Greenville County, South Carolina. Bunch McBee was one of South Carolina's leading forces in the building of railroads, was responsible for the Columbia to Hamlet, North Carolina, line, which runs through McBee, and was at one time superintendent of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. In 1900, McBee's first railroad depot was built. About one year later on October 8, 1901, McBee was incorporated. On June 30, 1901, McBee Presbyterian Church was built, the first church in McBee. Six years later in 1907 McBee's second church, McBee Methodist Church, was built. After the Seaboard's Columbia-to-Cheraw line was completed in 1900, McBee grew so quickly that a new depot became a high priority by the end of the decade. In 1914, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad built a second depot in McBee. This was both a passenger and freight depot until it closed in 1971. Now it is the McBee Depot Library and Railroad Museum. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as the Seaboard Air Line Railway Depot in McBee. In 1980, the railroad became a subsidiary of the newly created CSX Corporation, and in 1986 the Seaboard name was changed to CSX Transportation. In 1945, U.S. Route 1 through McBee was named the Blue Star Memorial Highway Number 6. McBee Rescue was originally formed in 1962 as a joint venture with Jefferson Rescue to fill the need of rescue - ambulance service in the area. The ambulance was rotated between McBee and Jefferson and responded to the appropriate area as needed. The ambulance was originally parked on the street corner in McBee and later at the Health Center prior to constructing the current squad building. Prior to the ambulance, the only means of transport to…

Geography

McBee is located in southwestern Chesterfield County in the Sandhills region of the Carolinas. U.S. Route 1 passes through the center of town, leading southwest to Camden and northeast to Cheraw. South Carolina Highway 151 crosses US 1 in the center of town, leading northwest to Jefferson and southeast to Hartsville. South Carolina Highway 145 splits off from US 1 just north of McBee and leads northeast to Chesterfield, the county seat. According to the United States Census Bureau, McBee has a total area of , all land. McBee has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by humid summers and cool dry winters. Precipitation does not vary greatly between seasons. July is the hottest month, with an average high temperature of below 91 °F and an average low temperature of around 69 °F.[6] The coldest month of the year is January, when the average high temperature is near 54 °F and the average low temperature is below 32 °F.[6] The warmest temperature ever recorded in the town was 106 °F.[7] The coldest temperature ever recorded in the town was -2 °F.[8] While McBee is near a coastal area, hurricanes are not a major concern, but are possible in this part of South Carolina.

Race & ethnicity