Page Contents for Blacksburg, South Carolina

Statistics & Facts

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Government

Community events.

Schools.

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Statistics & Facts

The South Carolina state capital is Columbia.
The population of Blacksburg is approximately 1,907 (1990), 1848 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 860 (1990), 747 (2010).
The amount of land area in Blacksburg is 4.417 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0 sq kilometers.
The distance from Blacksburg to Washington DC is 365 miles.
The distance to the South Carolina state capital is 83 miles. (as the crow flies)
Blacksburg is positioned 35.12 degrees north of the equator and 81.51 degrees west of the prime meridian.

History & History Related Items

The present day site of Blacksburg, SC was first settled by a man by the name of Stark in the late 1700's to early 1800's. Mr. Stark who had lived in Charleston, SC prior to moving to Blacksburg, had gotten several people to come with him on his trip. He had told them that they were going to go to the new area and plant bananas. When the bananas failed to grow properly because the climate was not warm enough to support them, the people who had came with him, laughed him out of the settlement. Those who stayed behind named the area Stark's Folly. Around the late 1800's three brothers who lived in Stark's Folly had gotten the Southern Railroad Company to lay track through the town and a depot was built in the town. The town's name was soon changed to Black's Station to honor the three brothers and later renamed Blacksburg in 1888. In the 1890's large amounts of iron were found in the area and many people hoping to make a fortune from mining the mineral flocked to the town. Blacksburg became a boom town and hotels and saloons were built for the new visitors. The town's name was changed to Iron City during this time and later changed back to Blacksburg in 1898. Because of the "iron rush" the town became quite wealthy and the fist electric street lights in the state of S.C. were installed in Blacksburg. The city was incorporated in 1898 as "Blacksburg" but still holds its nickname "Iron City" to this day.
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The founding of Blacksburg

1898

Attractions

King's Mountain National Military Park - located about ten miles east of Blacksburg. This a Revolutionary War battle site were the Americans defeated the British in what was probably the turning point of the Revolution.
Activities at the Park: Nature Trails, Living History Farm, Swimming, Putt-Putt, Camping,and History Museum.
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Blacksburg City Government

Mayor: David Houge (1-2001)

Blacksburg Community Events

An annual Event
First Weekend in August each year
Ed Brown's Rodeo
The rodeo was started by Mr. Ed Brown in the 1960's and has become one of the best rodeos in the Southeast; drawing an estimated 22,000 people into the town every year for the two day event.

Blacksburg Schools

Blacksburg High School
201 West Ramseur Drive
Blacksburg, South Carolina
Phone: (864)839-6371

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Blacksburg High School has started a "sister school" program via the Internet with Taroona High School in Tasmania Australia. You can read more about this from the web site of the Premier of Tasmania