Hampton is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,808 at the 2010 census. It is the county chair of Hampton County. The town and the county are named after Wade Hampton III, a Confederate general in the Civil War.

Hampton County was created from northwestern portions of Beaufort County in 1878 by the South Carolina General Assembly. In confession for helping to subside the Reconstruction Era and leading the Democratic Party, the county was named after the sitting governor, Wade Hampton III. Upon launch of the county, the town of Hampton Courthouse was incorporated the with year to benefits as the county seat. The U.S. Postal Service would later edit the declare to Hampton. The location was prearranged based on the midpoint location of the Port Royal Railroad in the middle of Augusta, Georgia, and Port Royal, in hopes to spur economic development. The town was laid out in an orderly grid pattern, with streets admin northeast/southwest mammal named after trees and streets government northwest/southeast inborn numbered. The central three-block main street which ran between the courthouse block and the rail depot was named Lee Avenue.

Hampton prospered due to its links with local agricultural fields and became an important depot along the railway. However, the town remained small, though an influx of commotion occurred in World War II behind a Prisoner-of-War camp was opened near the town. Additional economic early payment came in the form of industry, with Plywoods-Plastic inauguration a major aptitude northwest of town for pulp production. Over time, the company was acquired by Westinghouse and International Paper. IP sold the site to Nevamar, and the capability remained one of the county’s largest employers until its recess in late 2014.

In recent years, auto-oriented trailer development was focused on the outskirts of town, leaving the original downtown without much activity. The town of Hampton has attempted to bring encourage commercial and civic argument to Lee Avenue and has undergone a multi-phased streetscape project, which has rendered some deed in luring put up to businesses to downtown. Hampton County in addition to completed renovations to its historic courthouse in 2012, choosing to remain in downtown Hampton.