With beginnings dating back as far as the 1700s, Abbeville County, South Carolina, has a history that represents a rich and colorful tapestry of the South Carolina Upcountry. Formally organized into a unit of state government in 1800, Abbeville District extended from Savannah to the Saluda Rivers, but modern Abbeville County includes Abbeville, Calhoun Falls, Antreville, Donalds, Due West, and Lowndesville. Each of these communities has its own distinct landmarks and prominent events, such as Jefferson Davis's last War Cabinet meeting in the city of Abbeville, the moment that dissolved the Confederacy and earned the city the nickname "Birthplace and Deathbed of the Confederacy." Many of the families living here today are descended from the first settlers, and even the famous John C. Calhoun was a native son of Abbeville County.