Hell Hole Swamp, in northeastern Berkeley County, South Carolina, lies entirely within the Francis Marion National Forest, where its 2,125 acres are protected as wilderness in one of the forest’s least developed landscapes. Its striking name is documented well before the legends later attached to it, appearing on a 1757 coastal map and in a 1761 land grant to James Colladon, with another 1773 map confirming the name. Though its true origin remains unknown, the swamp became a notable part of local identity, lending its name to a long-running Jamestown festival and race and to an informal group of prominent Berkeley County natives.