History of Manning, SC
In 1855 the Legislature appointed a group of commissioners to select and purchase a tract of land for "the Village of Manning" in the newly formed Clarendon County.The Plat of Manning was prepared by Captain Joseph Copely Burgess and filed in Sumter County Courthouse 1856. Captain Burgess donated land for the courthouse and jail in Manning. Manning became the county seat for Clarendon County.
The city is named for John Laurence Manning (1816-1889) who was elected to both chambers in the General Assembly and served as governor 1852-1854. George Allen Huggins (1831-1887) was the first intendant (mayor). A Certificate of Incorporation was issued to the city of Manning on May 13, 1976 and the city currently operates under a Council form of government.
Manning's first library, the Hannah Levi Memorial Library, was completed in 1910. It eventually became known as the Manning Library and was the only public library in the county. It became a county library in 1976 and continued to operate until the opening of the Harvin Clarendon County Library in 1984. The building now houses the Clarendon County Archives and History Center.