The Secondary City: Georgetown and the Waccamaw Neck Within a Global Maritime Perspective, 1740-1850

Author

• John Paden Wilson, University of South Carolina

Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

History

First Advisor

Sean Gallagher

Abstract

Georgetown is not and has never been the primary city on the South Carolina coast. Its harbor is shallow and muddy and its urban development lacks the commercial density found in more prominent Atlantic port cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston. Despite all indicators to the contrary, this marshy backwater outpost became the second richest port in the United States prior to 1850 through rice and indigo exportation. As a result, the port drew people, goods, and ideas from around the Atlantic. Despite its small size and limited cultural relevance, Georgetown was a regional node for international cosmopolitanism. This project examines both Georgetown's pre-Civil War maritime development as well as the ways in which its cosmopolitan maritime past has shaped both its modern community survival and assisted and interfered with comprehensive public memory.

Rights

© 2026, John Paden Wilson

Recommended Citation

Wilson, J. P.(2026). The Secondary City: Georgetown and the Waccamaw Neck Within a Global Maritime Perspective, 1740-1850. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8766