Among the first settlers of Williamsburg County, members of the Witherspoon family sailed from Belfast to Charleston in 1734, arriving about December 1. With a year's provisions, they embarked on an open-boat voyage up the Black River, came ashore near here, and lived in Samuel Commander's barn while constructing their dirt houses. By 1775, Potatoe Ferry was operating on the Black River about 1/4 mile downstream. During the Revolution, Brigadier General Francis Marion used the ferry to transport troops on a planned expedition against British forces in Georgetown. In 1810, Bishop Francis Asbury, a pioneer of American Methodism, crossed the river here during his travels.