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South Carolina County
Williamsburg County, South Carolina
Kingstree's Black River and the Williamsburg County Revolutionary War heritage - from Williamsburg County's Revolutionary War Scotch-Irish patriots (the Scotch-Irish Presbyterian settlers of Williamsburg County provided some of the most determined Patriot resistance in South Carolina - Colonel Peter Horry and other Williamsburg County militia leaders fought alongside Francis Marion, and their Black River communities sustained the Patriot cause through years of brutal British occupation) to the Black River's scenic Williamsburg County corridor and the county's significant agricultural history in the coastal plain.
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Services: Countywide disaster preparedness, response, and recovery
Related: Williamsburg County EMS – 2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy, Kingstree, SC 29556, headquartered in Kingstree with sub-stations in Hemingway and Salters, covering roughly 963 rural square miles.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-52, US-521, and SC-261 serve Kingstree, the county seat, on the Black River in the Pee Dee region
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Williamsburg County Building and Planning Department – (843) 355-8156
Services: Building permits for unincorporated Williamsburg County under the currently referenced 2021 building codes
Notes: Town of Kingstree maintains its own SEPARATE building/fire codes contact – (843) 355-8156 also listed for the town; confirm the correct jurisdiction and whether other incorporated towns (Andrews, Greeleyville, Hemingway, Lane) maintain separate permitting.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Williamsburg County Veterans Affairs Office – Kingstree, SC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Williamsburg County Library – main branch in Kingstree, serving continuously since 1917, plus a branch in Greeleyville
Main Branch: Williamsburg County Library (Kingstree Branch) – 215 N Jackson St, Kingstree, SC 29556 | (843) 355-9486 | Fax: (843) 355-9991 | Hours: Mon 9:30 AM–8 PM, Tue–Wed 9:30 AM–6 PM, Thu 9:30 AM–8 PM, Fri 10 AM–4 PM
Services: Part of the SCLENDS catalog network, described as holding one of the most extensive public materials catalogs in South Carolina; offers regular children’s storytime, a “Creative Space” program, adult conversation groups, and access to Jasmine OverDrive for ebooks/audiobooks and free online tutoring
Related: Greeleyville Branch – (843) 426-2381.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Williamsburg County’s seat, Kingstree, genuinely takes its name from a real colonial-era landmark: “The King’s Tree,” a notably tall white pine discovered on the east bank of the Black River by an early explorer, who marked it with the King’s Arrow to reserve it for the British Crown as a potential ship mast for the Royal Navy; the tree – reportedly the only such King’s Arrow-marked pine ever documented in the American South – was, according to local history, never actually cut, and gave its name to the surrounding township, first settled by roughly 40 Scots-Irish immigrants in 1732 under the broader colonial Township Plan established by Governor Robert Johnson; the settlement’s name was formally shortened to the single word “Kingstree” in 1886; a Daughters of the American Revolution marker was placed at the traditional site of the tree in 1923 and still stands today; the county itself, meanwhile, was separately named for King William III of England (William of Orange); the Williamsburg County Courthouse in downtown Kingstree, designed by celebrated South Carolina architect Robert Mills and completed in 1823, sits on ground that served as a colonial and Revolutionary War militia muster ground, and survived an 1883 fire thanks to its 30-inch-thick fireproof walls; the area also saw real Revolutionary War action, including the Battle of King’s Tree (August 1780) and the Battle of Lower Bridge (March 1781), the latter a documented victory for General Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox,” against British forces
Notes: Kingstree’s genuine, well-documented origin as a colonial “King’s Tree” landmark reserved for the British Crown is a distinctive piece of South Carolina’s colonial history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Williamsburg County GIS – accessible via williamsburgcounty.sc.gov
Parcel Search: Williamsburg County Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Williamsburg County Disaster Preparedness Agency
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Williamsburg County Animal Care and Control – 200 County Camp Road, Kingstree, SC 29556 | (843) 355-9312 | Email: [email protected]
Services: A small county-run shelter taking in strays picked up by animal control and owner-surrendered pets, working to rehome them; adoption fees are accepted by cash or check only
Notes: For dangerous or stray animals posing a public safety risk, contact the 911 non-emergency line at (843) 354-0606; for adoption/surrender questions, call the shelter directly at (843) 355-9312.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: SC DHEC – scdhec.gov
Notes: Contact Williamsburg County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Williamsburg County’s seat, Kingstree, genuinely takes its name from a colonial-era white pine tree marked by the British Crown as a Royal Navy ship mast – the only such King’s Arrow-marked tree ever documented in the American South. 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 Williamsburg County
Williamsburg County is South Carolina’s Black River Patriot county – the Scotch-Irish Presbyterian militia who fought alongside the Swamp Fox along the Black River were among the most committed Patriots in the state’s Revolutionary War resistance.
Kingstree (the county seat, population ~3,300) is the hub for Williamsburg County’s agricultural and timber communities on the Black River coastal plain.
All Services
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Williamsburg County Assessor at 147 W. Main Street, Kingstree, SC 29556, phone 843-355-9321. SC owner-occupied assessed at 4% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Williamsburg County Probate Court at 147 W. Main Street, Kingstree, SC 29556, phone 843-355-9323, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
125 West Main St, Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 355-9321
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Williamsburg County Probate Court, Kingstree (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). Records are not available online; requests require an appointment.
Local societies
No dedicated Williamsburg 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
Williamsburg County Probate Court 147 West Main Street, Kingstree, SC 29556 (843) 355-9321, ext. 6200
Williamsburg County is in the Pee Dee region of eastern South Carolina, seated in Kingstree. Currently, there is no online access to estate and marriage license records – call or email to schedule an appointment.
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. The Williamsburg County Probate Court also handles estates of persons deceased for 10 years or more and assists with involuntary commitment proceedings for mental illness and chemical dependency.
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 Williamsburg County Probate Court where the decedent resided (appointment required); 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 Williamsburg 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
125 West Main St, Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 355-9321
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
125 West Main St, Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 355-9321
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
125 West Main St, Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 355-9321
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
DHEC Public Health Office
1801 Hampton Ave, Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 355-5307
Department of Social Services
500 Nelson Blvd, Kingstree, SC 29556
(843) 355-5726
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Williamsburg County Public Health (DHEC) – Kingstree, SC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Kingstree
Population: 30,000
Established: 1804
Tier: 3
Public Records
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