MARLBORO

county, northeastern South Carolina, U.S. It is located between the Great Pee Dee River to the west and North Carolina to the north and northeast. The county is also drained by the Little Pee Dee River. A richly productive farming region, Marlboro county lies in Fall Line hills and, in the southern portion, rolling hills of the Coastal Plain. Before European settlement the region was inhabited by Cheraw Indians. Welsh Baptists from Delaware were granted land along the Great Pee Dee in 1737. Marlboro county was established in 1785 and named for John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough. In 1865, during the American Civil War, it was ravaged by Union troops led by General William Tecumseh Sherman. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries Marlboro county was a leading producer of cotton; soybeans, tobacco, and grains are other major crops. The manufacture of textile products is also important. Bennettsville is the county seat. Area 480 square miles (1,242 square km). Pop. (1990) 29,716; (1998 est.) 29,589.