CHAT^TER III. 



THE LOWER PINE BELT, OR SAVANNA 



REGION. 



LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES. 



Contiguous to and immediately inland from the coast region lies the 

 Lower Pine Belt, or Savanna region, of South Carolina. Northward it 

 may be bounded by a line dividing Hampton county nearly in half, 

 leaving the Savannah river in Lawton township, running east across the 

 county and through Broxton and Warren townships, in the northwest 

 corner of Colleton county, to Orangeburg county, including the town- 

 ships of Branchville and Cow Castle. Thence along the northern bound- 

 ary of Charleston county to the Santee river. Leaving the Santee river 

 about Wright's Bluff, this line traverses Clarendon county to its north- 

 east corner, crosses Lynches river, descends that river to a point opposite 

 where Catfish creek empties into the Great Pee Dee ; follows that stream to 

 Barker's creek, passes up it to Reedy creek^ down it to the Little Pee Dee, 

 and up that river to the North Carolina line. The section thus bounded 

 includes the half of Hampton county, nearly all of Colleton, two town- 

 ships in Orangeburg, all but the northwest corner of Clarendon, the 

 southwest portion of Marion, the whole of Williamsburg, and all Charles- 

 ton, Georgetown and Horry counties not lying on the coast, and com- 

 prises nearly one-third of the entire State. 



THE PHYSICAL FEATURES 



of the Lower Pine Belt bear a striking analogy to those of the coast 

 region. The uplands, the so-called " pine barrens," represent the sea 

 islands. Numerous large fresh water rivers replace the great salt water 

 rivers and arms of the sea along the coast, and the interminable net-work 



