St. Matthews

Matthews is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town holds an annual Purple Martin festival in April which includes food, music, cars, and more.

• Official Name — St. Matthews, South Carolina • Type — Town • Website — https: stmatthews.sc.gov/ • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — United States • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — South Carolina • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Calhoun • Established Date — 1841 • Leader Title — Mayor • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Sq Mi — 1.93 • Area Land Sq Mi — 1.92 • Area Water Sq Mi — 0.01 • Area Total Km2 — 4.99 • Area Land Km2 — 4.98 • Area Water Km2 — 0.02 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 1841 • Population Density Km2 — 369.88 • Population Density Sq Mi — 957.86 • Time Zone — EST • Utc Offset — -5 • Time Zone Dst — EDT • Utc Offset Dst — -4 • Elevation Ft — 282 • Postal Code Type — ZIP Code • Postal Code — 29135 • Area Code — 803 • Custom Label Sec1 — FIPS code • Custom Data Sec1 — 45-62620 • Custom Label1 Sec1 — GNIS feature ID • Custom Data1 Sec1 — 2407272 • Established Title — Founded

St. Matthews was established as the township of Amelia by Gov. Robert Johnson in the 1730s. The Col. J.A. Banks House, Buyck's Bluff Archeological Site, Calhoun County Courthouse, Calhoun County Library, Cherokee Path, Sterling Land Grant, Col. Olin M. Dantzler House, David Houser House, Prehistoric Indian Village, and Puritan Farm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Matthews is located in the center of Calhoun County. U.S. Route 601 passes through the town, leading northeast 51 mi to Camden and southwest 13 mi to Orangeburg. South Carolina Highway 6 crosses US 601 in the center of town and leads west 7 mi to Interstate 26 and southeast 22 mi to Interstate 95 near Santee. According to the United States Census Bureau, St. Matthews has a total area of 4.99 sqkm, of which 4.97 sqkm is land and 0.02 sqkm, or 0.35%, is water.

Public education in St. Matthews is administered by Calhoun County School District. The district operates St. Matthews K-8 School, Sandy Run K-8 School, and Calhoun County High School. Calhoun Academy, a school founded as a segregation academy, remains a private institution. St. Matthews has a lending library, the Calhoun County Public Library. St. Matthews is home to the Calhoun County Museum, on Butler Street, which is run and directed by Mrs. Roland. The Museum houses countless artifacts and stories of St. Matthews history and character.

• Mike Colter, actor • Viola Davis, Academy Award-winning actress • Clarence Felder, actor • Caleb Ginyard, singer, songwriter • Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) and (former) University of South Carolina wide receiver • Eartha Kitt, singer, actress, dancer and activist • Ludwig Lewisohn, writer, critic and poet • Phillip Merling, Miami Dolphins defensive end in the NFL • Harry L. Ott Jr., South Carolina House Representative • Horace Ott, musician, orchestral conductor and songwriter • Russell Ott, South Carolina House Representative and lobbyist • James "Blood" Ulmer, jazz and blues guitarist • Othniel Wienges, politician and horse breeder

St. Matthews racial composition • Race — Num. — Perc. • White (non-Hispanic) — 655 — 35.58% • Black or African American (non-Hispanic) — 1,068 — 58.01% • Native American — 7 — 0.38% • Asian — 7 — 0.38% • Other/Mixed — 52 — 2.82% • Hispanic or Latino — 52 — 2.82% As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,841 people, 943 households, and 531 families residing in the town.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,107 people, 823 households, and 549 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,091.1 PD/sqmi. There were 913 housing units at an average density of 472.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 37.16% White, 61.46% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population. There were 823 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 72.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 66.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,969, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $29,760 versus $21,311 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,911. About 19.5% of families and 24.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.8% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.