Socastee, a Native American name referred to as “Sawkastee” in a 1711 land grant to Percival Pawley, was the site of a skirmish between small American and British forces near Socastee Creek in 1781. By the 1870s, the community had become a significant center for the production and distribution of naval stores such as turpentine and tar. The area included a saw mill, turpentine distilleries, cotton gin, grist mill, cooper shop, and general store, and it also served as a gateway to the coast. The Socastee Historic District, including the S.S. Sarvis House (1881), T.B. Cooper Store (1905), and the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge (1836), was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.