Camden, SC (CAM)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2012

$384,112

Station Ridership

FY 2012

3,699

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The brick Seaboard Air Line depot serving Amtrak passengers in Camden was built in 1937 by the Wadesboro Construction Company. The facility is currently much in need of repair. In the late 1990s and 2000s, the Committee for Station Renovation tried to find ways to restore the building, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2000. However, as the city does not own the station, it would have to find a public use for it in order to purchase it. Work toward the goal of beginning restoration is ongoing.

Camden, seat of Kershaw County and the oldest existing inland town in the state of South Carolina, was originally part of a township plan ordered by King George II of England in 1730. The frontier township, once called Fredericksburg, did not really take hold until Joseph Kershaw established a store there in 1758, renaming the township Pine Tree Hill. Kershaw later suggested that the town be renamed Camden, in honor of Lord Camden, a champion of colonial rights.

May of 1780 brought the American Revolution to Charleston, and after Charleston fell, Lord Cornwallis and his troops marched to Camden, and routed the forces of General Horatio Gates about six miles north of the town on August 16, 1780. The Battle of Camden was the worst American defeat of the Revolution. This allowed the establishment of the main British supply post for the Southern campaign. The second battle of Camden, between General Nathaniel Greene’s 1,400 soldiers and 950 troops under Lord Francis Rawdon, on April 25, 1781, led to British withdrawal from Camden.

Camden was not directly involved in the American Civil War, though its native sons participated: six Confederate generals came from Camden.

In the early twentieth century, Camden became a place where wealthy northern families wintered. The town became associated with equestrian activities, and is home to the third oldest active polo field in America. Camden also hosts two large steeplechases every year, the Carolina Cup and the Colonial Cup. Thus, Kershaw County styles itself the “Steeplechase Capital of the World.” The Carolina Cup was organized in 1930 and has been held every year since then, except for 1943 and 1945.

Historic Camden maintains a Revolutionary war battlefields and museum. There are also over 60 antebellum historical sites as well as a Camden Archives and Museum, which is housed in the Carnegie Library. Built in 1915, the library provides a fine example of Greek revival architecture.

Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at the Camden station.

Camden is served by two daily trains.