In the years following the Revolutionary War, Americans delved deeper into their new homeland and found an unequaled grace in the landscape of what is now known as Laurens County. Named after Henry Laurens, a famed war hero and South Carolina native, the county is nestled in the state's piedmont region, with short distances to both the mountains and beaches. Small-town charm lingers in the area, even as the county's towns grow to include extraordinary opportunities in business, the arts, and education.

In this volume of vintage, black-and-white photographs, readers are fortunate to...