The town of Irmo is located in the lower Dutch Fork, an area so named because of the large number of Germanic settlers that lived there.

Dutch is a corruption of the German word for “German,” “Deutsch.” These Germanic immigrants brought with them their traditions and beliefs, including the Lutheran faith and a strong belief in superstitions such as witches and hexes. Some of the families that lived in the Irmo area in the Colonial period were the Derrick family, the Dreher family, the Koon family and the Rawl family. Many of these families engaged in agriculture in the 18th and early-19th centuries with some utilizing enslaved labor.

Like many of the other communities in Lexington County, the town of Irmo traces its creation to the development of the railroad. The Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad, nicknamed the “Crooked, Noisy and Late,” was chartered in 1885 and Irmo was created as the first water stop on the line. The stop was incorporated on Dec. 24, 1890, and was named by combining the first two letters of the last names of C.J. Iredell and H.C. Moseley. Iredell was secretary-treasurer of the CN&L Railroad, and Moseley was the railroad’s first president.

Irmo was home to a significant number of African Americans in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Racial strife led to rumors of race conflicts in the late-19th century, especially following the attempted lynching of Irmo resident George Kinard in 1892. Several African-American farmers were able to prosper in the community, including Henry J. Corley (1852-1948), who was the only African-American member of the Dutch Fork Beef Club. Irmo also became the home of Harbison Agricultural College, a college for African-American males, in 1911. The college, located where Midlands Tech’s Harbison Campus is located today, educated students until closing in 1958.

Two of the most important events in Irmo’s 20th century history include the construction of the Dreher Shoals Dam and Lake Murray between 1927 and 1930 and the development of Interstate 26.

The creation of Lake Murray attracted workers, created jobs and helped bring electricity to the area. It also led to local farmers losing their land and signaled a final shift away from agriculture toward industrial development.

The formation of the interstate system allowed for faster travel to Columbia and caused huge growth in the Irmo area. Developers such as Mungo Homes created subdivisions like Whitehall, Hallmark, Coldstream and Friarsgate. The interstate also allowed for the expansion of industry such as the Allied Fibers plant.

The industrialists who gave Irmo its name foresaw the great potential of the area. Today the area continues to function as a crossroad for Lexington and Richland counties.

J.R. Fennell has served as director of the Lexington County Museum since 2007. He holds a master’s degree in public history and a certificate of museum management from the University of South Carolina.