Winnsboro, South Carolina

In 1785, the General Assembly of South Carolina authorized the establishment of a public market at this spot. The market was a square, wooden building, painted yellow, and was topped with a belfry. In the 1820s Robert Cathcart bought the building and also donated to the town his old duck pond and a small piece of land in the middle of Washington Street as part of the deal. Here was constructed a narrow building modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The works for the town clock were ordered from Alsace, France and the town promotes it as the longest-running clock in America. The town bell was also cast in France and did good service until 1895; during a fire that year two young men were ringing it so vigorously that it cracked and was sent to Philadelphia to J. McShane for repairs. When after some delay it was returned and sounded for the first time, the tone was so different from the old tone that doubt was expressed immediately as to its being the original bell. The first floor is now used as meeting space for the town’s various organizations and as a voting location. The second floor of the Town Clock is home to the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce.