We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in South Carolina.
The city in South Carolina with the most number of Klaverns was Aiken with 2 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Wagener with 0.0014 Klaverns. There were historically 15 Klaverns in South Carolina, across 13 places in South Carolina with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in South Carolina based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in South Carolina
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in South Carolina
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in South Carolina
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in South Carolina
1 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in South Carolina
Located in
Darlington County, South CarolinaDarlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2016, its population was 6,117. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in South Carolina
Located in
Darlington County, South CarolinaHartsville is the largest city in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,768 at the 2016 census. Hartsville was chosen as an All-America City in 1996 and again in 2016. Hartsville has also been a National Arbor Day Foundation Tree City since 1986.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in South Carolina
Located in
Marlboro County, South CarolinaBennettsville is a city located in the U.S. state of South Carolina on the Great Pee Dee River. As the county seat of Marlboro County, Bennettsville is noted for its historic homes and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries – including the Bennettsville Historic District which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in South Carolina
Located in
Aiken County, South CarolinaFounded in 1835, the city of Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the South Carolina Railroad. The town is the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States, which was formed in 1871 from parts of Orangeburg, Lexington, Edgefield, and Barnwell counties. With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aiken is home to the University of South Carolina Aiken. The population was 30,296 at the 2013 census. Aiken was recognized with the All-America City Award in 1997 by the National Civic League.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in South Carolina
Located in
Florence County, South CarolinaFlorence is a city in Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It is probably best known for being the intersection of I-95 and I-20, and the eastern terminus of I-20. It is the county seat of Florence County and the primary city within the Florence metropolitan area. The area forms the core of the historical “Pee Dee” region of South Carolina, which includes the eight counties of northeastern South Carolina, along with sections of southeastern North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population of Florence was 37,056, and the estimated population in 2015 was 38,228.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in South Carolina
Located in
Dorchester County, South CarolinaSummerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County with small portions in Berkeley and Charleston counties. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Summerville at the 2010 census was 43,392, and the estimated population was 44,719 as of July 1, 2013.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Carolina’s statewide median.
On the map
Where South Carolina’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Palmetto State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In South Carolina
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wagener | 696 | 1 | 144 |
| 2 | Jefferson | 959 | 1 | 104 |
| 3 | Langley | 1,118 | 1 | 89 |
| 4 | Allendale | 3,328 | 1 | 30 |
| 5 | Darlington | 6,232 | 1 | 16 |
| 6 | Hartsville | 7,857 | 1 | 13 |
| 7 | Bennettsville | 8,928 | 1 | 11 |
| 8 | Aiken | 29,980 | 2 | 7 |
| 9 | Florence | 37,512 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | Summerville | 44,717 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Greenville | 60,670 | 1 | 2 |
| 12 | Columbia | 131,331 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 | Charleston | 125,458 | 1 | 1 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 13 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In South Carolina
When you’re looking at the places in South Carolina with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in South Carolina with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Wagener, Jefferson, Langley, Allendale, Darlington, Hartsville, Bennettsville, Aiken, Florence, and Summerville.
