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South Carolina County
Clarendon County, South Carolina
Briggs v. Elliott - the first of the five Brown v. Board cases - from Briggs v. Elliott (the 1947 lawsuit filed by Black parents in Clarendon County demanding equal school facilities - the case that became the first of the five cases consolidated into Brown v. Board of Education - the parents of Scott's Branch School in Summerton risked their livelihoods, homes, and safety to challenge the grotesque inequality between Black and white schools in Clarendon County, and their courage set in motion the legal chain that ended school segregation nationwide) and Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie's Santee Cooper fishing and recreation.
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Services: Coordinates countywide mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery from natural disasters, terrorism, and other man-made disasters; oversees the county’s 911 addressing system for consistent emergency response
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-301 and I-95 serve Manning, the county seat, in the Santee Cooper Lake Country region
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clarendon County Planning Department – 411 Sunset Drive, Manning, SC 29102 | (803) 435-8672
Services: Building, electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing, manufactured home, swimming pool, and barrier permits for unincorporated Clarendon County; the Planning Commission (7 members appointed by County Council) reviews and approves development plans and enforces zoning regulations
Notes: Town of Manning maintains its own SEPARATE permitting – Mayor’s Office (803) 435-8477 – confirm the correct jurisdiction for your property.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Clarendon County Veterans Affairs Office – Manning, SC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Harvin Clarendon County Library – Manning, SC
Main Branch: Harvin Clarendon County Library – 215 N Brooks Street, Manning, SC 29102 | (803) 435-8633 | Fax: (803) 435-8101 | Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–7 PM, Fri 9 AM–5 PM, Sat 9 AM–1 PM (closed Sun); bookmobile service available
Services: The county’s original library building (211 N. Brooks Street), also known as the Manning Library/Hannah Levi Memorial Library, is a Classical Revival structure built in 1909-1910 and individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1979) – one of the oldest purpose-built library buildings in the state
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Clarendon County is genuinely and profoundly significant in American civil rights history as the origin site of BRIGGS V. ELLIOTT, the FIRST of the five cases combined into the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal school segregation nationwide; the case’s roots trace to 1947, when Reverend Joseph Armstrong DeLaine, after a young boy drowned trying to cross a flooded stream to reach Scott’s Branch School in Summerton, urged local farmer Levi Pearson to sue for a school bus – some Black children in the county had to walk up to nine miles each way, while the county provided buses only for white students; that initial suit was dismissed on a technicality, but in 1949, nearly 60 African American parents and community members – later called the “Summerton 60” – signed a petition demanding equal school facilities, working with NAACP attorneys including a young Thurgood Marshall; the resulting case, formally filed in 1950 and named for lead plaintiffs Harry and Eliza Briggs (an auto mechanic and motel maid) against school board chairman Roderick W. Elliott, became the first twentieth-century case to directly challenge the constitutionality of racially segregated schools; though a federal district court initially ruled only that facilities be “equalized” rather than desegregated, the case’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court became the lead case in the consolidated Brown v. Board of Education ruling, issued May 17, 1954; the Briggs family and other plaintiffs faced serious economic retaliation for their participation; historical markers now stand in Clarendon County honoring this pivotal chapter of the civil rights movement, and the case is documented in the Smithsonian’s “Separate is Not Equal” exhibit
Notes: Briggs v. Elliott’s genuine, extensively documented status as the actual starting point of the legal fight that became Brown v. Board of Education is one of the most historically significant civil rights stories found anywhere in this project – the origin of a case that reshaped American public education nationwide.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Clarendon County GIS – accessible via clarendoncountysc.gov
Parcel Search: Clarendon County Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Clarendon County Emergency Management Division
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Clarendon County Animal Control / A Second Chance Animal Shelter – 5079 Alex Harvin Hwy, Manning, SC 29102 | Animal Control Office: (803) 473-7101; Dispatch (for pickups/reports): (803) 435-8877
Services: A Second Chance Animal Shelter, a no-kill 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is contracted by Clarendon County Council to provide kennel care at the county’s Animal Control facility; receives no government funding for shelter operations and is funded through its Thrift Store and donations; adoption fees are $125 for dogs and $100 for cats, including spay/neuter, FELV/FIV/heartworm testing, and age-appropriate vaccines; serves Manning, Summerton, Alcolu, Gable, Turbeville, Sardinia, Rimini, and Pinewood
Notes: If a dog is loose, threatening safety, or you need to report abuse/neglect, call County Dispatch at (803) 435-8877 rather than the shelter directly.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: SC DHEC – scdhec.gov
Notes: Contact Clarendon County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Clarendon County is the genuine, profoundly significant origin site of Briggs v. Elliott, the first of the five cases combined into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that ended legal school segregation in the United States. 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 Clarendon County
Clarendon County is where Brown v. Board of Education began – the Briggs v. Elliott case filed by Black parents in Summerton in 1947 was the first of the five cases that became the landmark Supreme Court decision ending school segregation in America.
Summerton’s Scott’s Branch School and the families who filed Briggs v. Elliott – at enormous personal risk – are commemorated in the Briggs-DeLaine-Pearson Foundation. Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie provide Santee Cooper recreation.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Clarendon County Assessor at 411 Sunset Drive, Manning, SC 29102, phone 803-435-4423. SC owner-occupied assessed at 4% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Clarendon County Probate Court at 411 Sunset Drive, Manning, SC 29102, phone 803-435-4444, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
411 Sunset Dr, Manning, SC 29102
(803) 435-8788
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clarendon County Probate Court, Manning (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Clarendon 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
Clarendon County Probate Court 411 Sunset Drive, Manning, SC 29102 (803) 435-8532 Clarendon County is in central South Carolina, seated in Manning.
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 – the standard path for the majority of estates. No notices or hearings are required unless demanded by an interested party.
Formal Proceedings – 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 Clarendon County Probate Court where the decedent resided; if there’s a will, the original is filed with it.
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 Clarendon 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
411 Sunset Dr, Manning, SC 29102
(803) 435-8788
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
411 Sunset Dr, Manning, SC 29102
(803) 435-9021
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
411 Sunset Dr, Manning, SC 29102
(803) 435-8905
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
DHEC Public Health Office
217 North Brooks St, Manning, SC 29102
(803) 435-8637
Department of Social Services
4 East Boyce St, Manning, SC 29102
(803) 435-8397
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clarendon County Public Health (DHEC) – Manning, SC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Manning
Population: 32,000
Established: 1855
Tier: 3
Public Records
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