Manning, South Carolina

==History==
In 1855, the South Carolina Legislature appointed a group of commissioners to select and purchase a tract of land for "the Village of Manning" in the newly formed Clarendon County. According to the ''Watchmen'', a local newspaper of the time, "the Legislature (had) granted a bill of divorce between Clarendon and Claremont ([[Sumter County, South Carolina|Sumter]])."

Thirteen men were named as commissioners to select and acquire from {{convert|6|to|60|acre}} on which to lay out the new courthouse village: R. C. Baker, L. F. Rhame, J. C. Brock, W. W. Owens, Joseph Sprott, J. C. Burgess, M. T. Brogdon, J. J. Nelson, Samuel A. Burgess, J. J. McFadden, Jesse Hill, R. R. Haynsworth, and P. S. Worsham. Five other commissioners, R. I. Manning, L. F. Rhame, J. B. Brogdon, J. J. Conyers, and William A. Burgess, were later named when it came time to erect the courthouse and jail from a state appropriation of $18,000, plus whatever funds might be realized from the sale of lots. The site for the village was presented to the state by Captain Joseph Copley Burgess, and the Plat of Manning was prepared and filed in Sumter County Courthouse. (Captain Burgess had also donated land for the courthouse and jail in Manning.) On the second Monday of the following October, the new district officers were elected, and Clarendon began to operate independently from Sumter District with Manning as its county seat.<ref>{{cite book| last=Gregorie| first=Anne| title=History of Sumter County| year=1954| publisher=Library Board of Sumter County| location=Sumter, South Carolina| lccn=54010612| pages=232}}</ref>

The city was named for [[John Lawrence Manning]], who was elected to both chambers in the [[South Carolina General Assembly|General Assembly]]. He was later chosen by the Assembly to serve as [[Governor of South Carolina]] from 1852 to 1854. George Allen Huggins was the first ''intendant'' (mayor) of Manning.

Manning's Post Office was established in 1856, and Thomas S. Coogler was appointed as the first Postmaster. Manning's first library, the Hannah Levi Memorial Library, was completed in 1910. It was funded by the children of Moses and Hannah Levi, and by the sale of the Moses Levi Institute. They named it in honor of their mother. It eventually became known as the [[Manning Library]] and was the only public library in the county. It became a county library in 1976 and continued to operate until the opening of the Harvin Clarendon County Library in 1984. The building now houses the Clarendon County Archives and History Center.<ref name="marker">{{cite web|url=http://www.lat34north.com/HistoricMarkersSC/MarkerDetail.cfm?KeyID=14-16&MarkerTitle=Hannah%20Levi%20Memorial%20Library%20/%20Manning%20Library|title=Hannah Levi Memorial Library / Manning Library Marker - Historic Markers Across South Carolina}}</ref>

Manning was severely damaged several times over its history. A large portion of the original town, including the courthouse, was destroyed in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] in 1865 during what is known as "[[Potter's Raid]]". This raid by [[Union Army|Union]] troops took place only a few days before Gen. [[Robert E. Lee]]'s [[surrender at Appomattox]]. Manning was later struck by a downtown fire in 1895 and damaged by a tornado in 1915.

[[File:Pauline Clyburn, rehabilitation client, and her children str... (3110573452).jpg|thumb|Pauline Clyburn, rehabilitation client, and her children stringing tobacco, photographed by [[Marion Post Wolcott]] (June 1939)]]
Railroads, abundant timber and diverse agriculture allowed Manning to flourish during the late 19th century and into the 20th century. In 1933, Highway 4 was changed to [[U.S. Route 301 in South Carolina|U.S. Route 301]] and thanks in part to the efforts of Manning resident W. P. Legg,{{citation needed|date=March 2010}} Manning and Clarendon County became a preferred route of the [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] to [[Florida]] motorist. Manning is along the [[Interstate 95 in South Carolina|I-95]] corridor and attracts retirees looking for various recreational activities and mild climates.

As early as 1960 Manning was one of many towns across the South for the staging of peaceful [[Civil Rights Movement|Civil Rights]] demonstrations and sit-ins. Unlike in some other areas, the demonstrations in Manning occurred without significant incident, but helped belie the local media's message that black Carolinians accepted the status quo. Manning and the surrounding region was still adjusting to the decisions handed down in the ''[[Briggs v. Elliott]]'' and ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' rulings against [[racial segregation]] in schools.<ref>{{cite book| last=Edgar| first=Walter| title=South Carolina, A History| year=1998| publisher=University of South Carolina| location=Columbia, SC| isbn=1-57003-255-6| pages=536}}</ref>

In 1969 Pansy Ridgeway became the first woman to be elected mayor of Manning.<ref>{{cite book| last=Edgar| first=Walter| title=South Carolina, A History| year=1998| publisher=University of South Carolina| location=Columbia, SC| isbn=1-57003-255-6| pages=571–572}}</ref> She served as mayor of Manning from 1970 to 1996 and was the third woman elected mayor in South Carolina and the first woman elected president of the South Carolina Municipal Association.

On [[Tornado outbreak of April 4–7, 2022|April 5, 2022]], an EF2 tornado caused considerable damage on the western and northwestern sides of towns. Many homes, businesses, garages, trees, power poles and lines, and vehicles were damaged, some heavily.<ref name="NWSColumbia">{{cite report |url=https://www.weather.gov/cae/04052022_Tornado_Outbreak.html |title=April 5th, 2022 Tornado Outbreak |date=April 7, 2022 |publisher=National Weather Service |access-date=April 25, 2022 |agency=National Weather Service in Columbia, South Carolina}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|agency=National Weather Service in Columbia, South Carolina|title=NWS Damage Survey for 04/05/22 Tornado Event|url=https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=PNSCAE&e=202204070231|publisher=Iowa Environmental Mesonet|date=April 6, 2022|access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref>