Local Information

Education

The Calhoun County School District is accredited by the State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Calhoun County has 5 public schools: 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school, and 1 school offering kindergarten through 7th grade. Calhoun County has an overall pupil/teacher ration of 15:1 and total enrollment of 2,120.

There are two private schools in Calhoun County. The largest is Calhoun Academy, which has an enrollment of about 458 for K3 through 12th grade. First Assembly Christian School is a much smaller school with an enrollment of about 20 for 2nd through 12th grade.

The district has a Board of Trustees made up of seven members, each elected from a single-member district. Members have staggered terms and an election is held every two years.

Our local technical school is Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College located in Orangeburg.

Banks

The county has 2 banks to serve the financial needs of the community. These banks have total assets of more than 45 million.

Hospitals

The Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg & Calhoun Counties is about 10 miles from St. Matthews. It has approximately 286 beds, 1100 employees, and 112 doctors. The Wellness Team at HealthPlex offers a variety of services to promote a healthy lifestyle for individuals in their community. Among the services provided are health screenings, family health assessments, smoking cessation, weight management, ergonomics, fitness classes, and back fair. There is also a Health Education Department that holds programs for prepared childbirth, siblings, Safe Sitter, CPR, diabetes, wound care, and ostomy education. The Regional Medical Center also has the H. Filmore Mabry Center For Cancer Care. This center provides outpatient services such as chemotherapy and radiation along with support groups, educational programs, and psychological counseling. Other services include: 24-hour Emergency Department, Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit.

Media

Calhoun County’s local newspaper, The Calhoun Times, is published once a week. Calhoun has cable available throughout most of the county.

Recreation

Calhoun County offers a variety of public recreation facilities and programs for the residents of the area. There is 1 park, 2 tennis courts, 3 ballparks, and 1 country club.

Organizations

There are a number of clubs and organizations that meet weekly or monthly. Among these are the St. Matthews Garden Club, Rotary Club, Cameron Businessmen’s Club, Sandy Run Ruritan Club, and Friends of Calhoun County.

Religion

Religion is an important part of life in Calhoun County with 8 Protestant churches and 1 Roman Catholic Church 14 miles away.

Places to Visit

The Calhoun Museum and Cultural Center has a wide variety of cultural events. There are exhibits, cultural performances, study-visit lessons, and tours on art and history. The Museum and Cultural Center works to strengthen downtown economic development, local education, tourism and community involvement. The museum also holds a gala every few years with speakers and performances.

Calhoun County has a large number of historic homes. Tours are usually taken around the Christmas holiday.

Festivals and Events

Each year, the Purple Martin Festival is held in April and is the largest festival in the County. The Chamber of Commerce and the Calhoun Museum and Cultural Center organize it. There are performing acts, a pet show, children’s rides, a petting zoo, and plenty of food.

The Calhoun Players is a community theater group that strives to increase exposure to all aspects of theater including performing, producing, selling, and attending. Since its inception in 1980, the group has presented Oklahoma, South Pacific, Carnival, Guys & Dolls, Calamity Jane, The Sound of Music, Mame, and many more wonderful performances.

Climate

Calhoun County is about blue skies and mild weather. April holds the highest percentage of sunshine with 69 percent of the days sunny, while January registers the lowest at 57 percent of sunshine for the month. There are, on average, 109 days each year that include some form of precipitation and the county receives around 50 inches of precipitation annually. The average temperatures are 44.7 degrees in January, 63.8 degrees in April, 81 degrees in July, and 53.2 degrees in October.