Cheraw (/tʃəˈrɔː/ chə-RAW, locally /ʃəˈrɔː/ shə-RAW) is a town on the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States.

When the first Europeans arrived in the area it was inhabited by the Cheraw and Pee Dee American Indian tribes.

This lack of organization and unrest was an underlying cause of the resentment people of these areas felt toward the British Crown.

In 1768 St. David's Parish, the last Anglican Church built in South Carolina under King George III, was established to help serve the civic and religious needs of the Cheraw area.

However, there was still much discontent with the ruling authority, and in May 1776 the grand jury of the Cheraws District Two declared its independence from Great Britain.

They included Claudius Pegues, General Henry W. Harrington, the Ellerbe brothers, Philip Pledger, and Eli Kershaw.

There was much unrest in the area during this time because Cheraw fell into part of the British strategic line of defense, where garrisons were built to control revolutionaries and to encourage loyalists.

During the Revolutionary War, St. David's Church was used as a hospital for British troops that operated under Lord Cornwallis's command and as quarters for the South Carolina militia.

In December 1780, just across from Cheraw, American commander General Nathanael Greene set up a "camp of repose" to rest and train his men.

The main crops from the Cheraw area were corn, cotton, tobacco, rice and indigo.

Because of the cotton trade, the town boasted the largest bank in South Carolina outside of Charleston before the Civil War.

Leading up to the Civil War, Cheraw citizens played a key role in South Carolina's secession from the Union.

However, an accidental explosion of captured gunpowder at the river hill burned the Cheraw business district.

The Civil War caused great economic hardship in Cheraw due to the destruction of its bridge across the Pee Dee River and the conflagration in its business district.

[9] Cheraw was the first municipality to use the Civilian Conservation Corps in South Carolina to build a state park.

By the end of the 20th century, Cheraw had a balanced industrial base while maintaining its historic charm, architectural treasures and natural resources.

In November, 1941, Cheraw saw pretend combat in its streets during the Battle of Pee Dee River, Phase 1 of the Carolina Maneuvers.

Tanks from Patton's division penetrated the defenses and entered the city center to be met by defending anti-tank guns.

[11][12] Cheraw is located in eastern Chesterfield County at the fall line of the Pee Dee River.