Town of the Week

Moncks Corner, South Carolina
June 17, 2000

Head over to Moncks Corner, South Carolina; just listen in.

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Azaleas and daffodils, dogwood and cypress trees reflect off the inky black water swamp of cypress gardens. You're standing near a little town northwest of Charleston, South Carolina, with a unique name of Moncks Corner. This early trading center takes its name from landowner Thomas Monk, and developed in the 1730s on the southeast corner of his plantation.

In its early days it was more a trading post than town, with four taverns and five stores. The usual practice of the Santee River planters was to take his crops to Moncks Corner, sell them there, dine and return home in the afternoon. The completion of the Santee Canal in 1800 made it possible for goods from here to be shipped to Charleston harbor.

The 22 mile canal took 700 laborers with picks and shovel seven years to complete. The canal park and adjoining Berkeley Museum are popular tourist attractions at Moncks Corner. The museum catalogs 12 thousand years of area history, and you'll find out the popular Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, called the Swamp Fox. You'll find his name on forests and swamps and lots in between.

Today, this town in Berkeley County has a population of over six thousand, with two medical facilities, and Santee Cooper's modern high-rise complex. The town is also home to two monasteries, Mepkin Abbey and Holy Savior Priory, where you are welcome to stop and share their peace and quiet. Nearby lakes Moultrie and Marion claim three world and seven state fishing records. Home of the high school Berkeley Stags and Timberland Wolves, our town of the week is Moncks Corner, South Carolina.