Chain Gangs and County Farms

Before establishing the state’s first state prison in 1866, South Carolina’s penal history included farms and chain gangs operated by the counties. The practice was common throughout the South and continued after the state operated a prison. Then, as is still done, persons awaiting trial were held in detention at a county or city jail and later moved to the county farm after sentencing. Upon arriving at a farm, the prisoner served his sentence on a prisoner work detail known as a chain gang.

The term “chain gang” derives from the practice of securing a prisoner with an ankle cuff connected to a chain, with other prisoners attached similarly to the chain. Thus, the chain restrained all prisoners so one could not move far unless all came along. The farms had prisoners serving sentences for both felonies and misdemeanors.

During the era before home rule, when South Carolina remained primarily rural, managing county farms and chain gangs was an essential function of county government. In some counties, there was more than one farm or “camp,” but every county had at least one. Richland County had four camps. Richland County chain gang camp number two was located in what is now Forest Acres, a suburb of Columbia.

Prisoners were a significant labor source for county jobs, with road work being their primary contribution. Some people reported their work was better than that of private contractors. They often also worked on a county farm, where they could produce their food. The financial reports of county supervisors underscored the importance of chain gangs to the operation of county government, while newspapers revealed their prominence in the administration of justice.

Until South Carolina embraced roads as a centralized function of state government, the counties were primarily responsible for road maintenance. In 1917, the General Assembly authorized the establishment of a State Highway Commission, marking a significant transition. Tasked with building a state road system, the Commission faced an enormous undertaking given that, initially, the state had only 26 miles of paved roads. Before then, it was, to a large extent, the counties and their chain gangs that kept most of the unpaved roads in passable condition. In the more densely populated counties, chains became less frequently used. Prisoner work crews are seen occasionally along 21st-century highways, but chains do not tether them. The chain gang work crews remain as an image of the rural South in literature and films, but they no longer exist in South Carolina.

Nicholas, W. (2024, April 15). House Legislative Oversight Committee, Department of Transportation. Retrieved from South Carolina Legislature: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/CommitteeInfo/HouseLegislativeOversightCommittee/AgencyWebpages/DOT/structure%20and%20laws/history.php

South Carolina Department of Corrections. (2024, April 15). About SCDC. Retrieved from History of the SCDC: https://www.doc.sc.gov/about-scdc