These Small South Carolina Towns Are celebrating Big Birthdays in 2025

South Carolina's 2025 events calendar is chock-a-block full of fun things to do, particularly for those interested in learning more about the state’s fascinating heritage. Leading the charge are several small communities that are focusing their energy this year on commemorating milestone anniversaries, some of them spanning three centuries of American history.

For curious travelers, these celebrations offer many unique opportunities to experience living history in truly authentic Carolinian settings. From multi-day festivals to historic reenactments, these small town birthdays promise to set the bar pretty high for fun happenings in South Carolina in 2025.

McCormick

The small town of McCormick will once again be turned into a Revolutionary War encampment to mark its pivotal role in America’s fight for independence. Dubbed McCormick County's “MC250,” this much-anticipated event takes place on July 12, 2025, exactly 250 years after Major James Mayson captured Fort Charlotte from the British. South Carolina’s first open act of defiance against British rule, the fort’s capture was to ensure McCormick’s place in the history books.

The MC250 festival will highlight the events of that fateful day in 1775 with military reenactments, living history demonstrations, and the unveiling of new interpretive markers. July 12 will be jam-packed with other happenings, too, including a dawn reveille at the fort site overlook, followed by militia drill demonstrations complete with period equipment. Costumed interpreters will also recreate the negotiations between Mayson and the British, while artillery crews will demonstrate the firing of 18th-century cannons.

Local Cherokee Nation members are also participating, with programs about Native American perspectives on the fort and its role in frontier conflicts. And bring your appetite as food vendors will be on hand to serve colonial-era grub. Crafts people will also be on hand to demonstrate period skill sets such as blacksmithing, weaving, and other period trades. The day finishes up with a torch-lit ceremony honoring all who served at Fort Charlotte, regardless of allegiance.

As you drive about the county, look for new signage directing visitors to related Revolutionary sites including at the Battle of Long Cane site, New Bordeaux, the Guillebeau House and Cemetery, and Fort Boone.

Ninety Six

Located an hour west of Columbia, the quirkily named town of Ninety Six is commemorating the 250th anniversary of the first Revolutionary War land battle south of New England. Known as the First Battle of Ninety Six, November 1775 erupted into fighting when some 600 Patriots led by Major Andrew Williamson confronted an equal number of Loyalists commanded by Patrick Cunningham and Joseph Robinson.

Taking place at the Ninety Six National Historic Site on the 250th anniversary of the South’s first land battle of the American Revolution, November 15 to 16 will see reenactments of key moments, including the initial skirmishing and wrapping up with the truce when both sides ran low on ammunition. Reenactors representing Long Cane Militia, Loyalist militia units, and Cherokee allies will provide several perspectives on the conflict.

Things kick off on Saturday morning with tactical demonstrations by Light Horse Harry Lee's Legion, demonstrating cavalry charges and mounted infantry tactics. Artillery crews will fire period cannons throughout the day while explaining 18th-century siege warfare, and kids are invited to participate in colonial-era games and militia drill instruction using wooden muskets. You can also wander authentic camps from both sides of the conflict, stopping to chat with reenactors willing to discuss everything from military medicine to camp cooking.

Sunday's highlight is a formal wreath-laying ceremony featuring Continental and British soldiers honoring the dead from both sides of the conflict. They’ll also be honoring James Birmingham, the first South Carolinian killed in the Revolution. Readings of primary source accounts from battle participants will also be presented, and come nightfall, there’ll be a candlelight tour exploring civilian experiences during military occupation.

Park improvements for the anniversary include enhanced trails connecting the reconstructed Star Fort to outlying siege works, as well as new interpretive panels explaining siege tactics from 1781 when the fort once again saw battle. Archaeologists will demonstrate excavation techniques and discuss recent discoveries at the site.

Ballentine

Looking for a good primer for the events of the Revolutionary War and America’s struggle for independence? Then make a beeline for the Richland Library's Ballentine branch. This public facility will become a center for Revolutionary War education on July 9, 2025, when historian Bill Davies lectures on South Carolina's pivotal role in achieving American independence.

Part of the library’s America 250 initiative, the day will examine how actions in South Carolina’s backcountry small towns impacted he war's eventual outcome and the British capitulation. Drawing on decades of research, Davies presents new interpretations of familiar events while introducing lesser-known stories that will reshape your understanding of the Revolutionary era.

Highlights include pre-event reading groups discussing primary sources from South Carolina's Revolutionary period, with the library providing digital access to letters, diaries, and military dispatches from South Carolinians who witnessed (and in many cases, made) history. Topics include the colony's transformation from a loyal British colony to a hotbed of revolution, the role of Presbyterian ministers in promoting independence, and economic factors that drove different regions toward Patriot or Loyalist sympathies.

Davies will also present statistical analysis showing why historians call South Carolina the war's bloodiest battleground as more than 200 documented engagements took place within state borders. Field trips are also planned to nearby Revolutionary War sites including Historic Brattonsville and the Battle of Hanging Rock location.

Cordesville

Located in what was once the South Carolina hamlet of Childsbury near Cordesville, the picturesque Strawberry Chapel this year celebrates its 300th anniversary. Built in 1725, this quaint old chapel exemplifies early Georgian ecclesiastical architecture in the Carolina Lowcountry with thick brick walls that have survived three centuries of earthquakes, hurricanes, and human neglect.

Named for the area's wild strawberries and now the last surviving structure from Childsbury, other original features include its round-arched windows and elegant interior woodwork. Known Revolutionary War connections include British cavalry having used the chapel as a stable, and Patriot forces camping in the church cemetery.

Although it’s located on private land and currently in need of restoration, a “friends of” group is undergoing fundraising efforts to help reserve the structure. A number of services are also expected to take place in this unique South Carolina church as it celebrates so significant an anniversary.

If you’re planning on visiting South Carolina in 2025, these small towns are well worth including in your travel plans. Encompassing Revolutionary War battlefields and staging grounds for colonial-era armies, each community is doing its utmost to preserve its unique stories with must-attend events. And as America approaches its big 250th birthday in 2026, participating in these small South Carolina events is guaranteed to get you in the mood for the main event next year.