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South Carolina County
Chesterfield County, South Carolina
Cheraw - South Carolina's prettiest town and Dizzy Gillespie's birthplace - from Cheraw's Historic District (the Cheraw Historic District - with its extraordinary collection of antebellum and Federal-period architecture on tree-lined streets - has earned Cheraw recognition as one of South Carolina's most beautifully preserved small towns) to Dizzy Gillespie's Cheraw birthplace (John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie - one of the founders of bebop jazz, whose trumpet innovations and harmonic complexity revolutionized American music - was born in Cheraw in 1917, and the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars Jazz Festival celebrates his legacy annually in his hometown).
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Services: Building permits and code enforcement for unincorporated Chesterfield County, plus the Town of McBee (mobile homes intended for placement within McBee town limits require separate approval from McBee Town Hall first)
Notes: Confirm whether other incorporated towns (Cheraw, Pageland, Jefferson) maintain their own separate permitting processes.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Chesterfield County Veterans Affairs Office – Chesterfield, SC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Chesterfield County Library System – five branches: Chesterfield, Cheraw, Pageland, McBee, and Jefferson/Society Hill
Main Branch: Chesterfield County Library – confirm current address via cclssc.org
Services: The first library in the county was organized around 1800 in the town then known as Chatham (now Cheraw); the modern system was formally established in 1967; has digitized significant local historical collections, including Spencer Family Papers (circa 1700s-1900s) and historic photographs of Cheraw buildings
Notes: NAMING TRAP – a much larger, unrelated “Chesterfield County Public Library” system exists in Chesterfield County, Virginia; confirm South Carolina when searching for services.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Chesterfield County is genuinely the birthplace of jazz legend JOHN BIRKS “DIZZY” GILLESPIE, born in Cheraw on October 21, 1917, widely regarded as one of the founders of modern jazz (bebop) and one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, known for his innovative bent trumpet, bulging cheeks, and songs including “A Night in Tunisia” and “Salt Peanuts”; Gillespie learned to play instruments in Chesterfield County’s public schools and organized his first band by age 14 before leaving Cheraw at 17 to pursue his musical education; he went on to become a U.S. State Department goodwill ambassador in the 1950s, was invited to perform at the White House by eight U.S. presidents (Eisenhower through George H.W. Bush), and received the National Medal of Arts (1989) and Kennedy Center Honors (1990); he consistently opened performances worldwide by introducing himself as “Dizzy Gillespie from Cheraw, South Carolina”; Cheraw honors him today with a seven-foot bronze statue on the Town Green (added in 2002), the Dizzy Gillespie Home Site Park featuring a trumpet sculpture and a steel fence engraved with the musical notes to “Salt Peanuts,” and the annual South Carolina Jazz Festival held each October near his birthday; Cheraw itself, settled around 1748, is one of South Carolina’s oldest inland towns, with over 200 properties on the National Register of Historic Places, often called “The Prettiest Town in Dixie”; the county is also home to Cheraw State Park, founded in 1934 as South Carolina’s very first state park, featuring an 18-hole championship golf course and Lake Juniper, alongside Sand Hills State Forest and the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Notes: Dizzy Gillespie’s genuine, extensively documented and celebrated status as a founder of modern jazz – with a real White House-performance history spanning eight presidents – is one of the most culturally significant birthplace connections found in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Chesterfield County GIS – accessible via chesterfieldcountysc.com
Parcel Search: Chesterfield County Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Chesterfield County Codes Enforcement
Services: A county-run facility available to county residents for adoption and surrender of dogs and cats; adopters must be over 18 and complete an application with vet/personal reference checks before a scheduled meet-and-greet; spay/neuter is arranged before the animal goes home; works closely with several rescue groups (no local humane society); county-organized rabies vaccination clinics held periodically at discounted rates
Notes: All litter and animal control complaints (nuisance/stray pickup) are handled by the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office, not the shelter directly.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: SC DHEC – scdhec.gov
Notes: Contact Chesterfield County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Chesterfield County is genuinely the birthplace of jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, one of the founders of modern jazz (bebop), extensively celebrated today throughout his hometown of Cheraw. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County is South Carolina’s prettiest town and Dizzy Gillespie birthplace county – Cheraw’s Federal-period architecture and the bebop jazz pioneer born on its streets give this Pee Dee community an outsized cultural heritage.
Cheraw (population ~5,500) is Chesterfield County’s most historically significant community – the Historic District’s architectural quality and the annual Dizzy Gillespie Jazz Festival draw visitors to the Pee Dee region.
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Chesterfield County Assessor at 178 Mill Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709, phone 843-623-2338. SC owner-occupied assessed at 4% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Chesterfield County Probate Court at 178 Mill Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709, phone 843-623-2574, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
200 West Main St, Chesterfield, SC 29709
(843) 623-2531
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Chesterfield County Probate Court, Chesterfield (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Chesterfield County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Chesterfield County Probate Court 200 West Main Street, Chesterfield, SC 29709 (843) 623-0901 Chesterfield County is in northeastern South Carolina, seated in Chesterfield.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
South Carolina HAS adopted a version of the Uniform Probate Code, giving it more standardized and generally more streamlined procedures than states with older, common-law-based systems. Probate is handled by a dedicated Probate Court in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties – a separate court of limited jurisdiction, led by an elected Probate Judge (four-year term). The case is filed in the county where the decedent lived.
Small Estate Affidavit / Collection by Affidavit (S.C. Code Ann. § 62-3-1201) – available when the gross value of the entire probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $45,000 (raised from $25,000 for deaths after May 2025). At least 30 days must have passed since death, and no petition for appointment of a personal representative can be pending anywhere. The successor files a Form 420PC “Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property,” which the probate judge approves and countersigns.
Summary Administration (§ 62-3-1203) – a simplified probate procedure available when the value of the estate passing by will (less liens and encumbrances) is under the statutory threshold, or when the surviving spouse is the sole heir or beneficiary.
Informal Probate – admits the will as valid without a hearing; the standard path for the majority of estates. No notices or hearings are required unless demanded by an interested party.
Formal Proceedings – require a hearing to confirm the validity of the will; reserved for contested matters: objections to a personal representative’s appointment, will contests, a lost or destroyed will, or declaratory judgments on intestacy.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files a petition with the Chesterfield County Probate Court where the decedent resided; if there’s a will, the original is filed with it within 30 days of death, as state law requires.
For informal probate, the Probate Judge (or a designated staff member) reviews the application administratively; formal proceedings require notice and a hearing.
The court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative files an inventory and appraisement within 90 days of qualification, and provides periodic accountings as the court requires.
Creditors are notified; claims not timely presented are barred.
The estate closes with a final settlement – a verified report and proposed distribution served on interested parties and approved by the Probate Court.
What it costs
Filing fees vary; check with Chesterfield County directly for current fees.
A personal representative’s bond, when required, must equal one and one-half times the value of the estate’s personal property, though bond can often be waived under certain conditions.
South Carolina does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
200 West Main St, Chesterfield, SC 29709
(843) 623-2531
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
200 West Main St, Chesterfield, SC 29709
(843) 623-2411
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
200 West Main St, Chesterfield, SC 29709
(843) 623-2373
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
DHEC Public Health Office
106 Parrish St, Chesterfield, SC 29709
(843) 623-2359
Department of Social Services
200 West Main St, Chesterfield, SC 29709
(843) 623-2364
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Chesterfield County Public Health (DHEC) – Chesterfield, SC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Chesterfield
Population: 46,000
Established: 1798
Tier: 3
Public Records
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