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The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

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Latta

SC PICTURE PROJECT 1 Comment

SC Picture Project / Dillon County / Latta

Like Dillon, Latta was founded in 1887, when railroads were being built across South Carolina. It was named in honor of Robert J. Latta, who surveyed the right-of-way for the new railroad. Today, Latta is a delightful small town of around 1,500 in Dillon County, which borders North Carolina in the northeastern part of our state.

Cottonfield in Latta SC

Benton Henry of Latta, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The above photo was taken of a cotton field west of Latta during the January, 2014 snowfall. Latta is situated in the Pee Dee region of the state, part of the inner coastal plain that still produces the most cotton in South Carolina. In the early nineteenth century South Carolina grew more than half of the nation’s cotton. Two varieties made the state a leading producer: Sea Island cotton, which grew on the sea islands below Charleston, and upland cotton, which grew in the Piedmont and inner coastal plain.

Soybeans Latta

Benton Henry of Latta, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Many factors led to the decline of South Carolina’s staple industry: the end of the Civil War eliminated slave labor, the boll weevil invaded in the 1910s, and land lost valuable nutrients due to constant clearing. However, farmland eventually was renourished in the middle part of the state, and while much cotton production eventually traveled westward to other states, the inner coastal plain – including Dillon County – remains a heavy cotton producer. Soybeans, as seen in the above and below photos, are another cash crop creating an economic boon for the Pee Dee region. The below photo was taken after a heavy rain, according to photographer Benton Henry .

Latta Soybean Field

Benton Henry of Latta, 2015 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Latta is not all farmland, however. The town has recently undergone revitalization efforts and is the home of widely popular softball and baseball program as well as the Ellis Performing Arts Center. Latta proudly – and rightly – descirbes to itself as “a small town with a big heart.”

Latta Fireworks

Benton Henry of Latta, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plan Your Trip:

Where is located?
Latta, SC 29536
GPS Coordinates: 34.416649,-79.371069
What else should I see?
Main Street United Methodist 0.3 mile
Dillon County Courthouse 0.4 mile
The Columns 0.5 mile
St. Louis Catholic Church 0.6 mile
Show me more like this!
  • Latta Historic Sites
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    Related posts:

    Abingdon ManorAbingdon Manor Latta LibraryLatta Library Vidalia SchoolOld Vidalia Academy Ellis Performing Arts CenterEllis Performing Arts Center Latta Cotton PressEarly Cotton Press

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dorothy Hayes Branham says

      January 10, 2015 at 1:28 AM

      God's country

      Reply

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