[Blade]

I spent my summers as a child in Branchville. It is right outside of Orangeburg. There is a lot to see within 25 miles or so of Branchville. Now don't get me wrong there is nothing there, not really. It's close to the Edisto River which is black water and full of the biggest bream I've ever caught also full of snakes and skeeters that sound like airplanes coming in. It's a very small town, I'm sure there isn't a campground or hotel there but both can be found several miles out. There are some very old cemeteries there, and just riding around the country down that way is a history lesson not to mention a beautiful ride.

It was not until 1832 that the railroad phase of Branchville's history began. It was then that the South Carolina Railroad's tracks reached the site of the present Branchville, and that was the end of "The Branch."

Some 170 acres of land were purchased by the railroad company which proceeded to lay out the town. Present-day dwellers of Branchville say that the company used excellent foresight in its planning. Only one street in the town is less than 100 feet wide! Few towns or cities can lay claim to such a distinction.

Branchville then became the first railroad junction in the world when the railroad company extended its rails on to Hamburg, across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia and to the north, to Orangeburg and Columbia. Both rail lines closely paralleled the Old Indian Trails! The "Best Friend," the first steam railroad in the South, if not in the United States, hauled freight and passengers over the Charleston to Hamburg line through Branchville!

The Town of Branchville was incorporated on Dec. 23, 1858, taking in all of the property within a radius of one mile of the railroad station.
The old Rail Road Depot is a Museum now