Campobello — Campobello, South Carolina

Campobello is located in northwestern Spartanburg County. Before the Civil War the land was part of a large plantation owned by Joseph Davis. One day, as visitors were leaving on horseback, they stopped and looked back at the rolling farmland and someone in the group exclaimed, “Campa bella” meaning “beautiful field.”

Because it was such a fitting description, Davis adopted the Italian phrase as the name for his estate. A room in Mr. Davis’ home was designated as the area post office. The change from Campabella to Campobello probably occurred as a result of a postal clerk’s poor handwriting. Today, Campobello is surrounded by peach and apple orchards, and especially in the Spring when the fruit trees bloom, it is still “Campa bella.”