SC National Heritage Corridor

Abbeville Square and Welcome Center

Abbeville has much to offer both the visitor and resident.  Abbeville County, dating back to the 1700s, is rich in history from time of the Cherokee Indians. Dr. Joannes de la Howe is credited for naming Abbeville after his native city in France, and Jefferson Davis held his last war cabinet meeting at the Burt-Stark Mansion.

Today, Abbeville is a modern county with industrial parks, new schools, colleges, churches, an arts center, community centers, an opera house, 19th century homes, historical sites, recreational areas, state parks, and lakes.

Housed in the "Old Bank" building, The Abbeville Welcome Center is intimately familiar with the entire county and provides visitor service opportunities to visitors.  As an added bonus to the already historic setting, the Wilbur Kurtz paintings adoran the walls of the center.  These remarkable paintings are not only beautiful to look at, but they also interpret the Civil War history of Abbeville.  The paintings include: General Andrew Pickens, John Caldwell Calhoun, the first organized mass meeting for secession, Abbeville after the Civil War and the last Council of War meeting of Confederate President Jefferson Davis with his military chiefs and advisors.