Area History published on Saturday 6-26-99 The emblem on my 1942 Conway High School ring initiates many questions from new acquaintances. The design of the ring reveals a gold outline of Horry County. Within its borders is a boat on the water. The inscription states, ``Republic of Horry.'' The question most often asked is, ``What does it mean?'' I reply, ``It represents the Independent Republic of Horry.'' Usually, the next question, ``How did it get its name?'' It all started with the origin of Conway, the county seat, which began as the northeast anchor of a defense system for Charleston. In 1732, the English king instructed Gov. Robert Johnson to designate 11 townships of 20,000 acres each to be laid out on the great rivers of the state at distances of about 100 miles from Charleston. They were to be settled to form buffer zones against Indian raids and to develop strong communities to support the port city. The township on the Waccamaw River was first named Kingston, later to become Conwayborough, then shortened to Conway in 1883. In 1734, a group of young men from Georgetown boated up the Waccamaw as far as Bear Bluff. Accounts of their trip indicated no evidence of any settlement in the territory. They returned to Kingston Bluff and camped on the banks of the Waccamaw. They killed and barbecued a bear and established what has become a deeply entrenched tradition - the first recorded Horry County barbecue. In spite of the gradual increase in the number of settlers in the vicinity of the proposed town of Kingston, the second attempt failed in 1783 to establish a township. The American Revolution did not phase the inhabitants. Gen. Francis Marion's men no doubt prowled the swamps along Horry's borders. Marion's guerrilla type of campaigning appealed to the few independent-minded men who joined his forces. After the Revolution, a large land grant was made to Col. Robert Conway, who served under Marion, The Swamp Fox, in the war. Later, he was referred to as Gen. Conway. After moving to his newly acquired real estate in 1787, he soon became one of the region's most influential citizens. In 1801, the General Assembly changed the name of Kingston District to Horry. The county is named for Peter Horry, another patriot who served as a colonel with Marion. Oddly enough, Horry never lived in the county named for him. As the settlement developed, the tiny village was renamed Conwayborough in honor of Conway. Many of his descendants still live in the county. Conwayborough, the county seat, became the site of a circuit court. Court first convened in March 1803. A carnivallike atmosphere surrounded the judiciary sessions. People attended court for entertainment. Local merchants held sales, and traveling shows often appeared to capitalize on the presence of the crowds. Horry inhabitants became self-sustaining. They tapped pine trees for turpentine, tilled the soil, fished in nearby streams and married the girl on the next farm. It was a quiet life with an occasional episode of violence. Historical articles by James A. Norton (1876-1950) are preserved in the Horry County Library. Norton philosophized about matters including the county's ``primitive economics.'' He concluded that it was a society with little need for money. People were poor, but never went hungry. They did not have money, but they had produce to barter. They bought what they needed with a dozen eggs and paid the doctor with a ham. Per capita income in 1895 was $2.50 per year, but Horry's riches were in the land, its produce and a way of life. There is no accurate account of who first called this county the ``Independent Republic.'' Before the Civil War, Joseph Walsh, an important leader in the county, referred to James Beaty as ``King of the Independent Republic.'' Walsh used the term as though it was common usage, not one he originated. ``Independent Republic of Horry!'' - the expression arose out of political disputes and because of the people's way of life, over many years of isolation. Marcus Smith is a retired Myrtle Beach optometrist and a native of Conway. He is a member of the Horry County Historical Society.