Yemassee, South Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yemassee, South Carolina
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| Motto(s):
"The focal point of the four counties"
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Location of Yemassee, South Carolina
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| Country | United States | |
| State | South Carolina | |
| Counties | Hampton, Beaufort | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Town Council | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 8.12 sq mi (21.02 km2) | |
| • Land | 8.11 sq mi (20.99 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) | |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,080 | |
| • Density | 133.23/sq mi (51.44/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code |
29945
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| Area code(s) | 843, 854 | |
| FIPS code | 45-79450 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 1227730 | |
| Website | www.townofyemassee.org | |
Yemassee (/ˈjɛməsiː/) is a small Lowcountry town in Beaufort and Hampton counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 1,027 at the 2010 census. Yemassee is near the borders of Colleton and Jasper counties. The town is divided by the county line between Beaufort and Hampton counties, which follows the roadbed of the CSX railroad. Most of the town's population presently lies within Hampton County (as of 2019). As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, the Beaufort County portion of Yemassee is included within the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Yemassee hosts one of the few commercial breeding facilities of non-human primates in the entire United States, Alpha Genesis, Inc., which serves as a major employer for the town. Also, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Auldbrass Plantation house and outbuildings lie just outside the town limits of Yemassee.
History
The town takes its name from the Native American tribe of the same name, the Yamasee, which was the most important Indian ally of South Carolina until the Yamasee War of 1715. The first attack that began the Yamasee War occurred in the Yamasee town of Pocotaligo, today part of the town of Yemassee.
The site of the present town is surrounded by both Revolutionary and Civil War sites. The remains of Civil War field fortifications can be observed along U.S. 21 and 17A between Yemassee and Pocotaligo (that section of highway is now a part of Yemassee, as the town has now greatly expanded into Beaufort County. Within the town limits are three historical plantations including Bindon, Cotton Hall, and Tomotley, with the latter two annexed into the town in 2021.
William Gilmore Simms published the novel The Yemassee: A Romance of Carolina in the 19th century, and the University of South Carolina in Columbia publishes a literary journal titled Yemassee.
The Yemassee Train Depot was the final stop for Marine Corps Recruits to Parris Island for much of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Geography
Yemassee is located at 32°41′41″N 80°51′11″W / 32.69472°N 80.85306°W (32.694771, -80.853091).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.7 km2), all land.
Climate
| Climate data for Yemassee, South Carolina (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1899–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 85 (29) |
88 (31) |
92 (33) |
99 (37) |
102 (39) |
108 (42) |
110 (43) |
109 (43) |
107 (42) |
97 (36) |
91 (33) |
87 (31) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 76.8 (24.9) |
80.5 (26.9) |
85.6 (29.8) |
89.1 (31.7) |
95.3 (35.2) |
98.4 (36.9) |
100.0 (37.8) |
98.8 (37.1) |
95.1 (35.1) |
88.9 (31.6) |
84.0 (28.9) |
78.3 (25.7) |
101.5 (38.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 59.2 (15.1) |
63.5 (17.5) |
69.5 (20.8) |
76.5 (24.7) |
83.4 (28.6) |
87.6 (30.9) |
90.1 (32.3) |
88.5 (31.4) |
83.8 (28.8) |
76.3 (24.6) |
67.8 (19.9) |
61.2 (16.2) |
75.6 (24.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 47.7 (8.7) |
51.3 (10.7) |
56.8 (13.8) |
63.8 (17.7) |
71.2 (21.8) |
77.2 (25.1) |
80.1 (26.7) |
79.0 (26.1) |
74.1 (23.4) |
64.9 (18.3) |
55.7 (13.2) |
49.7 (9.8) |
64.3 (17.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 36.2 (2.3) |
39.1 (3.9) |
44.2 (6.8) |
51.1 (10.6) |
59.0 (15.0) |
66.9 (19.4) |
70.0 (21.1) |
69.5 (20.8) |
64.4 (18.0) |
53.5 (11.9) |
43.7 (6.5) |
38.3 (3.5) |
53.0 (11.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 17.3 (−8.2) |
20.7 (−6.3) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
33.0 (0.6) |
43.0 (6.1) |
54.7 (12.6) |
61.5 (16.4) |
59.6 (15.3) |
50.3 (10.2) |
33.6 (0.9) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
20.7 (−6.3) |
15.1 (−9.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) |
4 (−16) |
13 (−11) |
24 (−4) |
33 (1) |
45 (7) |
56 (13) |
49 (9) |
38 (3) |
20 (−7) |
10 (−12) |
10 (−12) |
0 (−18) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.92 (100) |
3.72 (94) |
3.70 (94) |
3.56 (90) |
3.48 (88) |
6.67 (169) |
6.38 (162) |
5.51 (140) |
6.04 (153) |
4.09 (104) |
2.75 (70) |
3.78 (96) |
53.60 (1,361) |
| Average precipitation days | 9.6 | 8.9 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 8.6 | 12.9 | 12.6 | 12.0 | 10.1 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 9.5 | 115.5 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 250 | — | |
| 1920 | 323 | 29.2% | |
| 1930 | 539 | 66.9% | |
| 1940 | 684 | 26.9% | |
| 1950 | 712 | 4.1% | |
| 1960 | 473 | −33.6% | |
| 1970 | 745 | 57.5% | |
| 1980 | 789 | 5.9% | |
| 1990 | 728 | −7.7% | |
| 2000 | 807 | 10.9% | |
| 2010 | 1,027 | 27.3% | |
| 2020 | 1,080 | 5.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 385 | 35.65% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 630 | 58.33% |
| Native American | 5 | 0.46% |
| Asian | 1 | 0.09% |
| Other/Mixed | 38 | 3.52% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 21 | 1.94% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,080 people, 390 households, and 230 families residing in the town.
Transportation
Yemassee is accessible from three exits along Interstate 95 (exits 33, 38 and 42), which runs to the west of the town limits. Alternate U.S. Highway 17 and U.S. Highway 21 run through the town. S.C. Highway 68 connects Yemassee with other communities in Hampton County, including Varnville and Hampton. The town is also home to an Amtrak station, which serves as the principal rail access point for the Lowcountry region.
Notable people
- Chief Bey, African drummer
- Frank Blair, NBC television journalist
See also
In Spanish: Yemassee para niños
