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Walterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The city's population was 5,398 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colleton County. Walterboro is located 48 miles (77 km) west of Charleston and is located near the ACE Basin region in the South Carolina Lowcountry. == History == Walterboro (original spelling: Walterborough) was founded in 1783, as a summer retreat for local planters looking to escape their malaria-ridden, Lowcountry plantations. The original settlement was located on a hilly area, covered with pine and hickory trees and called Hickory Valley. Two of the earliest settlers were brothers, Paul and Jacob Walter. The brothers were prosperous, plantation owners, in nearby Jacksonboro. Paul's small daughter Mary, was taken ill with malaria; a common disease among the families who had plantations in the marshy areas of the Lowcountry, due to the ground's suitability for rice production. To prevent Mary from succumbing to the deadly microbe, the Walter brothers went looking for a healthier location in which to live during the summer months, and came to settle the town; with its later being named in their honor.