About Us

Abbeville gets its name from the Creek Indian expression “Yatta Atta” which means “reflections of Dogwood trees on the creek” or “grove of Dogwood.”  Each year Abbeville celebrates the beginning of spring and the blooming of Dogwoods with the Yatta Abba Festival filled with entertainment, food, art, and children’s activities.

 Visit Abbeville and you will find a walkable town with tree-lined streets, quaint shops, restaurants, and lots of history. Stroll along to a tune from the 1950’s and go back in time. Have a meal at an old fashioned soda shop and purchase unique items from local shops. Just be careful while walking those streets at night. There is a legend that when the moon grows full and the sky dark, Huggin’ Molly, dressed in black, may spring from the shadows.

Generations of Abbeville children have listened wide-eyed to their parents tell the story of Huggin’ Molly. They have hurried home on nights lit only by the moon’s glow, certain they saw something in the shadows, afraid she would be around the next corner. Molly is a giant of a woman, maybe 7 feet tall and as big around as a bale of cotton. Some say her ghost still walks the streets of Abbeville late in the night, sweeping her black skirt as she goes. If she happens upon you, she chases you down, gives you a huge hug and screams in your ear.

You may get a similar greeting from the local folks as well.

Hugs are common here!