SUMMERVILLE's name outlines her history. The town, located on a relatively high pine-encrusted ridge, was first inhabited in the late 1700's as a respite from sapping summer heat and disease. From May to September plantation families along the nearby Ashley River and from coastal Charleston some 20 miles east, left the malarial swamp lands in these lower-lying areas. They came to live temporarily or "maroon," in the tiny forest colony soon dubbed Summerville. The town's other pioneer residents descended from those 1696 puritans who settled the now defunct river township of Dorchester, endowing Summerville with a heritage spanning three centuries.

Summerville's beauty is mirrored in her motto, "The Flower Town in the Pines." Since the early 1900's day tourists have flocked to the town during early spring to enjoy millions of spring blossoms, particularly azaleas, in private and public gardens, including the mid-town Azalea Park.