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Latta, yet in it's youth, owes it's origin to
the building of the Florence (Short Cut) Railroad. The road was completed up to that point,
seven miles from Dillon, in 1888, depots located, and a nucleus of a town planted, and at once
persons began to build and to come in and dwell there. W. W. George built, as I think, the
first storehouse, a large and commodious one, at Latta, and also built a large dwelling, now
occupied by J. W. Smith, and the store is occupied by S. A. McMillan.
Soon others began to come in and build, until the town has attained to its present proportions. It is a thriving, progressive and enterprising place. Three churches for the white people have been built-Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian and each has its minister and are well attended. They have also constructed a school building, large and convenient, and have established a first class graded school, which is kept running from year to year by first class teachers. There are two or three colored churches, of moderate pretensions, gone up. The town has ample church facilities, as also schools. The graded school established, of course, includes the colored population, and they share in its benefits. This arrangement is required by law in the graded schools of the State. The white and colored, each, has its school house, the races are thus kept separate.
Latta has caught the tobacco fever, which is epidemic in all northeastern South Carolina. They have two large and well equipped tobacco warehouses, together with pack houses, also a tobacco stemmery, and have launched into the tobacco trade, and are competing with other tobacco centers in the county; and the prices paid this year (1901) will doubtless stimulate its production, perhaps, for years to come. They have also some banking facilities I think, a branch of the Merchant and Farmers Savings Bank of Marion, conducted by Mr. Austin Manning, a very competent young man, which affords sufficient money facilities for the business of the town.
The leading merchants and business men of the place are S. A. McMillan, J. J. Bethea, D. M. Dew and John L. Dew, and recently a large wholesale and retail supply store has been launched by E. B. Berry and Lonzo Smith, which seems to be doing a large business and promises much in the future; and last, but not least, is W. W. George, a regular hustler, who has done more in the way of building than anyone else, apparently with but little money, and carries on a large mercantile business all the time. Such an one deserves more than a passing notice. To enumerate: He first built the large and commodious store building now occupied by S. A. McMillan; a large ten-room dwelling, now occupied by J. W. Smith; next a store house on the corner next the railroad, afterward occupied by Young & Bass; next the Farley store, a large two story building; next a two-story building storehouse, in the branch (formerly) near the livery stables; next a fine and pretentious two-story dwelling, in Northeast Latta, in which he now lives; next a large tobacco warehouse and pack house, in East Latta; and last, but not least, a large two-story brick storehouse in East Latta. He has done all this within the last thirteen years, began with nothing, and has never seemed to have much money, and in the meantime made a trip to Mexico. He is a prodigy.
Latta is a live little railroad town. It has a population of 467, by the census of 1900. It has good surroundings, a good agricultural country, and no reason can now be seen why it should not continue to grow and prosper. It is incorporated.
Source: A History of Marion County, South Carolina, by W. W. Sellers, Esq., Columbia, South Carolina, 1902.
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