Willington is a small village (pop. 177) located 11 miles north of McCormick on Highway 81, the Savannah River Scenic Highway, and on the Nature Route of the SC National Heritage Corridor. The village was named for the famous Willington Academy, founded in 1804 by Dr. Moses Waddel, later President of the University of Georgia.  Willington was a cotton boom town, whose growth was sparked by the coming of the railroad in 1886.  By 1916, it boasted thirteen stores, a livery stable, doctor’s office and post office.  Its decline began in the years of the boll weevil and the depression.

            The brick buildings built around 1912 fell into disrepair over the years and ceased to function as stores.  In 1995 and again in 1997, these commercial buildings were listed as one of the “Eleven Most Endangered Historic Sites in SC” by a jury representing the National Trust, the SC Department of Archives and History, the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, the SC Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the SC Downtown Development Association. Spurred on by this listing, the McCormick County Historical Commission undertook the restoration of these historic buildings. In 2000, “Willington on the Way,” an independent not for profit corporation, was formed to receive donations and grants.  In 2001, the state legislature made an appropriation of $250,000  for the Willington project. Since then, the brickwork has been totally re-pointed, new roofs and floors added to three of the buildings, and new doors and windows fashioned, and three buildings equipped with electricity, heating and air conditioning.  In 2005, the restoration project was included in the state budget in the amount of $350,000 as a heritage tourism venture.  These funds were used to install a septic system, bathrooms in two of the existing buildings, and complete restoration of three more buildings.

            One building houses The Willington History Center which houses archival material, including family genealogies, oral histories, historical artifacts and information about McCormick County’s historical sites.  A significant addition to these resources is the Robert Segar Military History Collection of 500 books  which will be available for research. This includes 300 books on World War II, plus 200 on other military engagements.

            A second building houses The Willington  Bookshop, a non- profit bookshop of 12,000 used books whose proceeds go to the restoration project. The old post office building, which was rehabilitated by a Heritage Corridor grant, serves as an annex to the Bookshop with an additional collection of 3000 used  religious books.  The Bookshop phone is (864)391-BOOK. This same Heritage Corridor grant was used to rehabilitate an 80 year old African American schoolhouse which now serves as an African American Cultural center and lending library. An independently owned Thai café, “A Taste of Thai”,  across the street from the Bookshop, serves lunch Wednesday - Saturday, 11 to 2:30.

              For further information, or if you would like to make a donation to this restoration project, contact Sara Covin Juengst at 864-391-2218 or   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 2009