Marion County, South Carolina: History
Early European traders in the Carolinas settled along the Pee Dee River from the 17th century, including in an isolated area called Sandy Bluff. They did business with numerous tribes, including the Choctaw and Chickasaw to the South. Crossed by several rivers, the county was organized by European Americans in 1785 soon after the American Revolutionary War and was originally known as Liberty County. However, four years later it was renamed as Marion County, in honor of Brigadier General Francis Marion, the famous "Swamp Fox" and a hero of the American Revolutionary War. In 1910, a portion of the county was taken to be organized as adjacent Dillon County.