Nondenominational Church in Georgetown, SC

These Covid tracking pages are no longer being updated. Get the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control, or find archived data from The Times’s three year reporting effort here.

An updated vaccine is recommended for adults and most children. Statewide, 7% of vaccinations did not specify a home county.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: The hospitals map shows the average I.C.U. occupancy at nearby hospitals in the most recent week with data reported. The data is self-reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by individual hospitals. It excludes counts from hospitals operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Numbers for hospitalized patients are based on inpatient beds and include I.C.U. beds. Hospitalized Covid-19 patients include both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023.

How trends have changed in Georgetown County

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notes: Weekly county death data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. Hospitalization data is a weekly average of Covid-19 patients in hospital service areas that intersect with Georgetown County. Hospitalization numbers early in the pandemic are undercounts due to incomplete reporting by hospitals to the federal government.

Historical trends in Georgetown County

The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data in these charts has been archived and they are no longer being updated. Weekly county case data prior to Jan. 2021 was not reported by the C.D.C. and is sourced from reporting by The New York Times. The C.D.C. stopped reporting data on cases in May 2023. Test positivity data is based only on test results reported to the federal government and is a seven-day average.

The colonial seaport town gets a hotel and restaurant combo full of sweet homages to the community

February 29, 2024 Updated March 1, 2024

For over eighty years, a family-owned seafood market called Independent Seafood operated on Front Street in the colonial seaport town of Georgetown, South Carolina, serving fresh shrimp and fish to the community daily. Last year, it closed its doors—but two weeks ago, a new restaurant opened bearing their name, housed in a new hotel, the George, that opens today.

“We wanted to be thoughtful about the history and the fabric of the community,” says Steve Palmer, the founder of Indigo Road, the hospitality group behind the new spot. “There’s certainly sadness when a local business like that closes, and we decided the best way to honor them was to call the restaurant the Independent.” The menu reflects the market’s history, too: Raw offerings like littleneck clams and oysters abound, plus larger plates including blackened flounder with a lump crab and andouille sausage perlo. “That blackened flounder is the best-selling dish in the two weeks we’ve been open,” Palmer says. “And the fried crab fingers are my other favorite.”

The hotel itself, with fifty-six rooms, features its own set of homages to Georgetown and the surrounding area; Charleston designer Jenny Keenan wanted to incorporate the history of the town and the environment into every detail. “We all wanted something that blended into the town and the landscape,” she says. “Pecky cypress wood was non negotiable. So were sweetgrass baskets and local art.” Below, look inside the hotel and the restaurant.

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“I always love to see the sweetgrass huts along Highway 17 as I drive from Charleston to Georgetown,” Keenan says. The team commissioned local Angela Manigault to make two large baskets to hang on the hotel wall as a nod to the regional art form.

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A seating area at the end of the hotel’s first-floor corridor features poppy patterns, a colorful tapestry from India, and framed insects. “Living with birds and butterflies and alligators is part of being in an area with so much greenspace,” Keenan says. “I added touches of the flora and fauna wherever I could.”

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From the lobby, guests can peek into the Independent and at a commissioned piece featuring a flying bull and fish. “We wanted the restaurant to feel distinct from the hotel,” Keenan says. “It has a nautical, throwback vibe, with merlot-colored walls and blues.”

Inside the Independent, the bar area features layered textures of leather, wood, and marble.

In the back hallway, this seating area incorporates a collection of found pieces. “We wanted it to feel old, so these items are from antique stores and flea markets,” Keenan says. The team dubbed the portrait of the woman Eliza, after Eliza Lucas Pinkney, an influential historical figure who brought indigo to the area—and they borrowed her name for the outdoor bar, as well.

The cypress wood paneling and floor covers the first-floor corridor, providing a backdrop for a whimsical piece of an alligator and mermaid by Charleston artist David Boatwright.

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On the way to the hotel elevators from the lobby, guests pass under an archway, one of Keenan’s favorite structural details. “I wanted it to feel like you are walking through a forest,” she says.

Keenan also wanted the hotel to have an English feel, so she selected patterned wallpaper—in dark blue as a nod to the importance of the indigo industry to the area.

GEORGETOWN — Elizabeth Humphrey’s passion for mentoring students in Orangeburg County recently earned her a trip to not only Washington, D.C., but also to the White House.

Since graduating from Claflin University in 2005, the Georgetown County native has dedicated her career to serving others through education or by just simply lending a hand. Those are two values the 41-year-old received from her parents growing up in rural Plantersville.

Georgetown Times

“They instilled in me the value of education, helping people, being humble and keeping God first,” Humphrey said. “Those are the biggest things I can say my parents did in shaping my life to where I am today.”

Humphrey grew up amid oak trees on 30 acres of land in Plantersville. One of her fondest memories is of her father cutting grass surrounded by chickens and the family’s dog.

“My dad is a pastor, so every Sunday we were in church no matter what,” Humphrey said. “But sitting out there in the summertime with a glass of sweet tea, or just running up and down the yard. Me and my sister used to ride bikes until it was dark. It was just the experience of just being at peace out there surrounded by open land. Just beautiful.”

Yet the Georgetown High School graduate never had an inkling that one day she would walk through the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. that has been the official residence and workplace of every U.S. president since John Adams.

Currently an instructional coach at Robert E. Howard Middle School, Humphrey was invited along with other women from across the United States to the White House for the "Know Your Value Event" with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski. She was recognized for her dedication to mentoring students in the Orangeburg County School District.

“I did an interview with the National Education Association maybe six months ago, but I never heard back from them,” Humphrey said. “They asked me how I mentored students in my current role as a teacher; as an instructional coach, and that was it. I never heard anything else.”

But one day — out of the blue — Humphrey received a phone call from her friend Sherry East, president of The South Carolina Education Association.

“She was like, ‘Liz, you are going to the White House.’ I was like, ‘No way, not me,’” Humphrey said. “So about two days after the call, I got the invite. I was like 'Is this real?'”

Reality set in Jan. 10 when Humphrey stepped inside the doors of the White House and was greeted with a tea party before going into the East Room where Brzezinski interviewed Biden and answered questions from the invitees.

“Just being inside the White House and the East Room was amazing,” Humphrey said. “All of the people greeted us with a smile, even the security guards and security detail.”

Humphrey said the White House is bigger than it looks on television, describing it as pristine, bright and very neat. She was able to observe the portraits of all of the past presidents.

East said she was not surprised that Humphrey was invited to the White House event.

“She is a very dedicated educator,” East said. “She goes above and beyond for her students and her community. I first came across Liz when she was the district teacher of the year. I met with her and worked with her on a project to create a clothes closet for students in her school. She sees a need and she goes for it.

“If a student’s computer breaks down, she goes to their house. She worries about her students. She becomes part of their lives.”

Humphrey, who will graduate in May with a specialist degree in principalship, said her love for service started years ago when she came to Orangeburg County as a science teacher.

“My most impactful experience was helping one of my students that lost their home and everything," she said. "Me and a couple of teachers here were able to provide clothing, toiletries, kitchen appliances —whatever they needed. It helped to make them comfortable until the government could kick in assistance to help them recover.”

Every year during Christmas, Humphrey’s class of 30 students would adopt a family, providing gifts and clothing. That effort inspired others and soon the entire school participated.

Humphrey has a long list of honors in her career including teacher of the year, 40 under 40 recognition from Claflin University, NAACP Educator of the Year award and many others.

She credits her parents, Ben and Willie Mae Grate; husband Albert and two of her elementary school teachers, Angela Prioleau and Hermenia Bell, for being role models in her life.

“They (Prioleau and Bell) came to work every day, always dressed professionally and had a great mindset to teach students how to learn," she said. "They were amazing.”

These days Humphrey continues to mentor students as well as recruit more young women to become teachers in South Carolina. She also strives to instill the same values into her 7-year-old daughter Ashley.

“She was excited to see her mom on TV,” Humphrey said. “She was like, 'I want to be next.’ Hopefully I will rub off on her that one day her and other girls that I impact can sit in that White House seat and just be amazed.’”

Humphrey also has advice for the youth of Georgetown County.

“Know your why,” Humphrey said. “That’s instilled in my students here. Love yourself and always be willing to help others because you never know what somebody is going through.”

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The George Hotel has opened its doors to welcome guests. The design-forward waterfront property from Indigo Road Hospitality Group and Winyah Hospitality has 56 rooms and suites alongside a full-service restaurant, marina bar and private event spaces, making it the first of its kind on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast.

Georgetown, SC, is a common stopover for boaters traveling the eastern coast and The George offers prime marina access, allowing boaters the opportunity to enjoy the hotel’s amenities, while also providing a port for guests to enjoy excursions, such as fishing and sailing, in Winyah Bay. In addition to on-site activities and events, The George offers a variety of spaces that can be booked for semi-private and private events, including a meeting and event room, outdoor greenspace and bar, Eliza’s, and on-site restaurant, The Independent.

Housing 56 rooms, 42 of which are waterfront, the hotel has been curated by Jenny Keenan Design, which used a collection of vintage European furnishings and custom pieces. The lobby sports two-toned hardwoods and lime-washed plank walls, patterned sofas, wing-backed chairs and "oriental" rugs. The corridor of the first floor displays a large painting of a mermaid and alligator by artist David Boatwright of Charleston.

There are several room types, including two suite variations with living rooms and balconies, the largest being approximately 725 square feet. Each guestroom includes vintage seating and sideboards with custom fabric headboards ranging from detailed chintz to soft pastel stripes. Rooms vary in color scheme, while cypress softwoods stripe the floors and walls of communal spaces.

Located within The George Hotel, The Independent is a seafood restaurant and raw bar paying homage to the community’s former seafood market by the same name. Guests can expect a seasonal menu of Southern-inspired dishes guided by the region’s seafood. Raw offerings such as littleneck clams, peel-and-eat shrimp and oysters on the half shell are complemented by prepared small plates, chef selections and à la carte proteins and sides.

Located on The George’s greenspace, Eliza’s waterfront bar serves as a casual retreat along the Sampit Riverfront with lounge seating and outdoor games. It offers island-inspired cocktails with a small menu of light bites, snacks and a full raw bar, as well. The name serves as tribute to South Carolina’s Eliza Lucas Pickney, who was largely responsible for the indigo crop hitting the map, and the first woman to be inducted into South Carolina’s Business Hall of Fame.

For more information, visit www.thegeorgehotelsc.com.

GEORGETOWN — Marie Livingston has big shoes to fill, but the Georgetown native is more than ready for the challenge.

Livingston recently took over as executive director of Friendship Place from Charlie Ball, who retired after 24 years at the helm of the Christian-based nonprofit whose mission is to help break the cycle of poverty in Georgetown.

“I heard a smart man several years ago say something to the effect of, you know when you’ve taken something as far as you can take it,” Ball said. “It didn’t make sense to me at that point, but 24 years later and a fantastic new facility, a great capital campaign, great leadership; gosh, it’s time for fresh eyes to take a look at it and take it into the future.”

That set of fresh eyes belongs to Livingston, a 40-year-old wife and mother of four who additionally co-owns a logistics company with her husband Quentin.

Ball knows Livingston’s father, Commander Franklin Rutledge, who runs the Low Country Veterans Group in Georgetown. He recalled one day years ago when Rutledge hinted to him that Livingston was in the process of moving back to the area from out of state.

“He knew that we were looking for someone to help us who had energy and passion,” Ball said.

Georgetown Times

It is actually the second round at Friendship Place for Livingston, who started in 2017 as a program lead for the organization’s Georgetown WORKS initiative and stayed until 2019, when she went to work for the city of Georgetown. Livingston came back in 2022 as the associate director but remained engaged even though she was away.

“We were ecstatic when she came back," Ball said. "She is the perfect fit. She knows and loves the organization. She’s got the right personality and drive for it and I’m just so excited for Friendship Place and what it is going to do with her leadership.”

Friendship Place has served the Georgetown community for more than two decades. It helps people move from crisis to self-sufficiency through programs with names such as EATS, LEARNS and PRAYS.

Livingston said the nonprofit is averaging 30-40 individuals per day in its EATS program, where anyone can come to the facility at 1423 Front St. and receive a hot meal and words of encouragement.

“We just learn our neighbors and who they are and how we can better assist them with their various needs,” Livingston said. “Oftentimes, we have to say this is what you need, but it’s not a cookie-cutter solution for everyone. ... They are all coming from different backgrounds and different walks of life.”

LEARNS aims to improve reading skills of elementary school students through one-on-one literacy tutoring sessions. Livingston said PRAYS speaks to their role as a Christian-focused organization.

“It’s right in alignment with what we believe in, nourishing the souls of neighbors through effective ministry and prayer,” Livingston said. “Our prayer team and prayer in general keeps us grounded. It helps keep us sound and focused on the mission of what we are doing in our community.”

Livingston said the transition into her new role as executive director has been eye-opening, but she is excited to expand on the foundation that Ball has set.

“We are looking to launch Georgetown LIVES in the spring, which is a little revamping of Georgetown WORKS,” Livingston said. “It was primarily for women but we are looking to open that up for all of our neighbors. It is a more holistic approach to helping those navigate life and get them employed through direct support versus getting bounced around from agency to agency.”

Friendship Place is a nonprofit, so it relies on donations to operate. Two of the organization’s biggest fundraisers are Georgetown’s annual Bridge2Bridge Run in April and Palmetto Giving Day in May. Livingston said they participated in Coastal Giving Tuesday for the first time in November and raised $68,000.

Livingston said the facility's Tom and Jean Yawkey Foundation Community Room can be rented for meetings.

“We are here for the community,” Livingston said. “That’s what we want to be known and identified as. I encourage anyone interested to schedule a tour of our new location and see what we are doing.”

Ball said it’s been inspirational to spend 24 years at Friendship Place. He can recall helping people reunite with their families, getting folks into drug rehabilitation, seeing people get their first job or just leaving someone with a good word.

“To know that it is in such great hands, it is a blessing to see that,” Ball said. “She has a great board and staff. I can’t wait to see the new things there that will happen under her leadership.”