A Once Upon a Time Town on the South Edisto River that could have been in the Company of Summerville

Today, the South Edisto River is a natural waterway that meanders through the Lowcountry on its way to the Ace Basin. There are several small, nature‑focused communities for kayaking and fishing and historic villages along its course, plus a few larger nearby communities. Givhans Ferry State Park, with trails, picnic areas, and historic ferry ruins is a popular recreational area for locals and visitors. However, in the early 1700s, there was a town on its banks that was an important stagecoach stop between Charleston and Savannah called New London, later renamed Willtown. Its location on the river was near the present community of Jacksonboro.

New London was the first settlement of Colleton County established in 1682. It was the second planned town in South Carolina after Charleston’s 1682 relocation. It was renamed Willtown in 1708. At that time, there were boat docks, small shops, two churches, and a ferry landing. A stagecoach line was later built from Charlestown to Savannah, GA, which went through the town. It was an important regional trade center until the 1740s.

The original plan for New London was a grand scheme. It called for 250 lots and 62 blocks with 17 streets laid in a grid pattern. Four acres each were reserved for a school and an Anglican church and parsonage. An acre each were planned for a market town and a town garden. 

Unfortunately, it never reached its planned expectations. It declined due to epidemics of Malaria during the summer months, the Yamassee Indian War of 1715, and afterward plundered by the British soldiers during the American Revolution. After the war, it would become the Willtown Plantation in 1820, a historic rice‑farming estate on the Edisto River near Adams Run. Later, its name was shortened to simply Willton. 

Although it never recovered as a merchant trade center, Willtown became a popular summer village. It was granted a US Post Office on January 1, 1801, and its first Postmaster was Mr. Robert Paisley. The Post Office was closed permanently prior to 1824. It eventually became part of Charleston County.

Today's Willtown Bluff on the South Edisto River, still has visible and archaeological remains of Willtown's historic buildings and village layout. Just imagine if the 250 lots and 62 blocks with 17 streets laid in a grid pattern, the four acres each reserved for a school and an Anglican church and parsonage, and acre each planned for a town market and a town garden survived to today. It might have grown into a thriving riverfront community—part historic district, part modern village—its streets lined with preserved colonial structures, shaded parks, and small businesses overlooking the South Edisto. Instead of a quiet archaeological site, Willtown could have stood as one of the Lowcountry’s most distinctive heritage towns in the company of Summerville, a living reminder of South Carolina’s earliest ambitions.