The big cities in South Carolina have a well-published and promoted history that inspires people to travel near and far to see them.
But South Carolina wasn’t built on five or six big towns alone. There are dozens and dozens of smaller towns and communities that contributed to making South Carolina such a great place and they have history behind them too. Here are 15 of those historic towns.
- Walterboro, SC
Jeff Kramer, MD Walterboro is an old historic town where rice planters in the Lowcountry would go to escape malaria outbreaks during the summer. The city streets are still lined with historic homes that take you back in time.
- Anderson, SC
Wikipedia/skywalker195
Wikipedia/Bill Fitzpatrick The Caldwell-Johnson-Morris cottage in Anderson was constructed 75 years after the Cherokee Indians living in what is now Anderson sided with the English during the Revolutionary War. They surrendered the territory shortly after that war.
- Georgetown, SC
Flickr/SCFiasco
Wikipedia/Billy Hathorn Georgetown is the third oldest city in the state. Father and son planters in the area, Thomas Lynch Sr. and Thomas Lynch Jr. were signers of the Declaration of Independence.
- The “Old Village” in Mount Pleasant, SC.
Facebook/Old Village Post House A visit to Mount Pleasant’s “Old Village” will transport you back in time. Have lunch or dinner at the Old Post House or visit the old pharmacy complete with a soda counter. The “Old Village” is Mount Pleasant’s oldest neighborhood. The home at 111 Hibben Street was constructed in 1755.
- Lancaster, SC
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Facebook/See Lancaster SC The Lancaster area was first settled in the mid 1700s and is a charming southern town full of history.
- Abbeville, SC
Flickr/Bill Herndon
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn The Burt-Stark House in Abbeville is known for being both the birthplace and the deathbed of the Confederacy.
- Beaufort, SC
Flickr/Ken Lund Once a haven for wealthy plantation owners, Beaufort is renowned for preserving the historic architecture of this historic charming town.
- Summerville, SC
Flickr/Ty Nigh Summerville is billed as the birthplace of sweet tea. But sometime before that, it became the place for wealthy plantation owners in the Lowcountry to escape to during the hot summer months.
- Aiken, SC
Flickr/Gene Bowker Aiken incorporated in 1835 and was named for William Aiken. It was a planned town that later that same century would become a popular wintering spot for wealthy folks from up north.
- Cheraw, SC
Facebook/Cheraw the heart of South Carolina
Flickr/Boston Public Library Both Union and Confederate armies used St. Davids Episcopal Church in Cheraw as a hospital.
- Newberry, SC
Flickfr/Natalie Maynor Newberry’s Opera House is on the National Register of Historic Places, as are so many other places in this charming historic town 45 miles west of Columbia.
- Camden, SC
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Wikipedia/Pollinator Camden is the oldest inland town in the state. British forces occupied the original house where the Kershaw House stands today.
- Edgefield, SC
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM Edgefield, SC was both the birthplace and the death place of U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond.
- Bennettsville, SC
Flickr/Darryl Kenyon Bennettsville was founded in 1819 and named for South Carolina’s Governor Thomas Bennett. The town still boasts many historic homes and buildings from the 1800s.
- Fort Mill, SC
Facebook/Town of Fort Mill
Wikipedia/Bill Fitzpatrick The present day town of Fort Mill was established in 1873 and immediately prospered as a mill town. But prior to that, the territory was inhabited by the Catawba Indians.
Have you been to any of these towns? Or do you have others you’d like to add to the list? We’d love to hear!
Jeff Kramer, MD
Walterboro is an old historic town where rice planters in the Lowcountry would go to escape malaria outbreaks during the summer. The city streets are still lined with historic homes that take you back in time.
Wikipedia/skywalker195
Wikipedia/Bill Fitzpatrick
The Caldwell-Johnson-Morris cottage in Anderson was constructed 75 years after the Cherokee Indians living in what is now Anderson sided with the English during the Revolutionary War. They surrendered the territory shortly after that war.
Flickr/SCFiasco
Wikipedia/Billy Hathorn
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the state. Father and son planters in the area, Thomas Lynch Sr. and Thomas Lynch Jr. were signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Facebook/Old Village Post House
A visit to Mount Pleasant’s “Old Village” will transport you back in time. Have lunch or dinner at the Old Post House or visit the old pharmacy complete with a soda counter. The “Old Village” is Mount Pleasant’s oldest neighborhood. The home at 111 Hibben Street was constructed in 1755.
Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Facebook/See Lancaster SC
The Lancaster area was first settled in the mid 1700s and is a charming southern town full of history.
Flickr/Bill Herndon
Flickr/J. Stephen Conn
The Burt-Stark House in Abbeville is known for being both the birthplace and the deathbed of the Confederacy.
Flickr/Ken Lund
Once a haven for wealthy plantation owners, Beaufort is renowned for preserving the historic architecture of this historic charming town.
Flickr/Ty Nigh
Summerville is billed as the birthplace of sweet tea. But sometime before that, it became the place for wealthy plantation owners in the Lowcountry to escape to during the hot summer months.
Flickr/Gene Bowker
Aiken incorporated in 1835 and was named for William Aiken. It was a planned town that later that same century would become a popular wintering spot for wealthy folks from up north.
Facebook/Cheraw the heart of South Carolina
Flickr/Boston Public Library
Both Union and Confederate armies used St. Davids Episcopal Church in Cheraw as a hospital.
Flickfr/Natalie Maynor
Newberry’s Opera House is on the National Register of Historic Places, as are so many other places in this charming historic town 45 miles west of Columbia.
Wikipedia/Pollinator
Camden is the oldest inland town in the state. British forces occupied the original house where the Kershaw House stands today.
Edgefield, SC was both the birthplace and the death place of U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond.
Flickr/Darryl Kenyon
Bennettsville was founded in 1819 and named for South Carolina’s Governor Thomas Bennett. The town still boasts many historic homes and buildings from the 1800s.
Facebook/Town of Fort Mill
The present day town of Fort Mill was established in 1873 and immediately prospered as a mill town. But prior to that, the territory was inhabited by the Catawba Indians.
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