S. Marco

Samuel Marco (1838-1909) was born in Prussia—now present-day Poznań, Poland—and settled in Darlington in 1856. According to his obituary, Samuel enlisted in the Confederate army during the Civil War and eventually became the Captain of the First South Carolina Infantry. Following the war, he returned to Darlington where he married Rebecca Prince, worked as a merchant, and invested in local real estate development. In 1870, he faced litigation after submitting several competing bids for the construction of Darlington’s third courthouse. At the same time, The Charleston Daily News noted that the Darlington County of Commissioners awarded the contract to Samuel despite receiving lower bids from two well-respected Black mechanics. Despite the controversy, Samuel continued buying land along the Public Square and the outskirts of town. By 1880, he partnered with Isaac Lewenthal (c.1853-c.1928) to both farm land in Mechanicsville and open a farmer’s supply store called Marco & Lewenthal on the corner of Cashua Street and the Public Square in Darlington. In 1885, Isaac married Samuel’s daughter Sarah (c.1867-c.1906) and by the following year, Samuel and Isaac expanded their stock to include ready-made clothing, shoes, and boots. On March 3, 1892, their store—along with most other buildings on the west side of the Public Square—was destroyed in a fire. The following month, Samuel and Isaac announced plans to dissolve their partnership. By that time, Samuel was considered one of the wealthiest citizens in Darlington. He died in New York City in 1909 while visiting his son Barrauch Barrymore Marco.