Hopkins was named for John Hopkins, a Virginian who obtained a royal land grant in 1764. The town was originally Hopkins Turnout, as the railroad had a turntable here before the line to Columbia was completed. Trains ran from Charleston to Hopkins, and passengers continued to Columbia by stagecoach. Hopkins is home to the Congaree Swamp, originally inhabited by the Congaree tribe; they were reduced greatly by smallpox, but the area retained their name. Now a national monument, this biosphere boasts one of the most diverse forest communities in the country. Hopkins is also home to structures on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Harriet Barber House (c. 1880), the Hopkins Presbyterian Church (c. 1891), and the remains of the Hicks Chappell House (c. 1781), which burned in 2008.
Hopkins native Ann Drayton Lister is a 2000 graduate of Presbyterian College. She is a member of the Upcountry History Museum's History Makers, Presbyterian College's Young Alumni Board, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Columbia Museum of Art, and the Greenville Museum of Art. She resides in Greer with her husband, Hammond. Virginia “Johnnie” Hook McCracken has lived in Hopkins since her 1942 marriage to Carlton McCracken. Johnnie's longtime employment at the Hopkins Post Office allowed her to meet many residents. The authors' desire to preserve Hopkins's history is resounded by local families who generously shared their memories and photographs.