First settled in 1704, this region by 1733 included Amelia and lower Saxe Gotha townships. In 1765 much of it became part of the new St. Matthew's Parish and retained that name until 1865. Efforts in 1890 and 1896 led to an act signed on Feb. 14, 1908, creating a new county from parts of Orangeburg and Lexington and naming it for John C. Calhoun.