Blackville was founded in 1833 as the first overnight stop on the new railroad operated by the S.C. Canal & Railroad Co. In the late 19th century, four major fires in 1865, 1876, 1887, and 1888 each almost destroyed the town. In 1889, editor A. E. Gonzales nicknamed Blackville "The Town of the Phoenix" for its ability to rise again and again from the ashes and rebuild. Early on February 7, 1865, Federal cavalry under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick advanced to Blackville from Barnwell. Col. Thomas J. Jordan's brigade attacked a Confederate cavalry brigade under Col. James Hagan, drove it through the town and three miles beyond, captured many prisoners, and scattered the rest. Kilpatrick then destroyed the railroad at Blackville and advanced west to Reynolds Station, between Blackville and Williston, that night.