Town of Lexington

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Lexington is located in Lexington County. The county and its county seat were named for the battle of Lexington, Massachusetts, the first battle of the American Revolution. Granby was the leading town and county seat for many years, but the growth of Columbia across the Congaree River led to Granby's decline. The county seat was moved to the town of Lexington in 1818.

The Town of Lexington had its beginning on January 24, 1820 with the purchase of two acres of land from Anna Barbara Drafts Corley (Granny Corley) for establishment of a new court house and jail for Lexington County. Previously the county seat of government had been the town of Granby located where Cayce is today. Granby was a low, unhealthy area often flooded in the spring. Mrs. Corley's land was selected for its central location and its healthy atmosphere among the pine trees. The Town of Lexington grew up around the courthouse and was indeed called "Lexington Court House" until 1900. Most of the town's early settlers were descendants of older area families mostly of German ancestry. Prior to the Civil War, Lexington could boast of having the Lutheran Seminary, two churches, two newspapers, a small textile factory, a carriage factory and the usual businesses necessary for a courthouse town of that era. A municipal charter was issued on January 28, 1861.

In February of 1865 a wing of General Sherman's Federal troops occupied the town. Many of the dwellings and businesses were burned during this occupation. The town by 1880 had rebuilt its business district and a number of impressive new homes were replacing those lost in 1865. In 1890 the Lexington Manufacturing Company built the textile mill with its dam, pond and houses for the employees, all located on the eastern end of Main Street. Disastrous fires in 1894 and 1916 resulted in most of the business district structures being rebuilt of brick. In 1911 electricity for lighting was available and telephones before 1916. By 1927 a municipal water system was put into use. With post World War II prosperity Lexington has expanded into a thriving business and political center for Lexington County.

Lexington County is centrally located in the Midlands of South Carolina just outside the capital city in Columbia. Lexington is a major transportation crossroads for the Midlands with I-26, I-77, and I-20 on three sides of the county. The Columbia Metropolitan Airport is located in Lexington County just 10 miles from the town of Lexington and is the Southeastern hub for United Parcel Service.

The total area of the county is 757.2 square miles, with 50.2 square miles comprised of water. This water is mainly Lake Murray, which is a man-made lake with a vast area of water covering around 50,000 acres of land. It is one of the prime recreational spots for the Midlands and is ideal for boating, skiing, swimming, and of course, fishing. Nearby is another popular spot, the Riverbanks Zoological Park, which has as one of the ten great zoos in the United States with Riverbanks Botanical Garden just across the scenic Saluda River. Lexington County has much to offer visitors, business owners, and residents, with quality educational, recreational, and industrial facilities all around.