Chester County, South Carolina
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 21 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1969. Most listings are in or near Chester, Great Falls, Blackstock.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for South Carolina is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Chester titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP10 of 21 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
21 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic Presbyterian Church | Chester | 1971 |
| Chester City Hall and Opera House | Chester | 1973 |
| Chester Historic District | Chester | 1972 |
| Chester Historic District (Boundary Increase) | Chester | 1988 |
| Colvin-Fant-Durham Farm Complex | Chester | 1992 |
| Cornwell Inn | Blackstock | 1994 |
| Finley High School | Chester | 2025 |
| Fishdam Ford | Chester | 1973 |
| Great Falls Depot | Great Falls | 1980 |
| Great Falls Downtown Historic District | Great Falls | 2000 |
| Kumler Hall | Chester | 1983 |
| Lando School | Lando | 2009 |
| Landsford Canal | Rowell | 1969 |
| Landsford Plantation House | Landsford Township | 1987 |
| Lewis Inn | Chester | 1971 |
| McCollum Fish Weir | Lockhart | 1974 |
| McCollum Mound | Chester | 1972 |
| Mount Dearborn Military Reservation | Great Falls | 2018 |
| People's Free Library of South Carolina | Lowrys | 1982 |
| Phinney, James, House | Chester | 2016 |
| Republic Theater | Great Falls | 1980 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBChester was formed in 1785 (1785-03-12) from unknown / original county.
CHESTER created in Camden District.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusChester County population from 1790 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1790 | 1800 | 1820 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,866 | 8,185 | 14,189 | 17,747 | 18,122 | 24,153 | 28,616 | 33,389 | 32,579 | 32,597 | 30,888 | 30,148 | 34,068 | 32,294 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS29 cemeteries and 6 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 29 of 29 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Anderson Cemetery |
| Ararat Cemetery |
| Benson Cemetery |
| Blackstock Cemetery |
| Blakles Caldwells and Strouds Cemetery |
| Browns - Strouds Cemetery |
| Brushy Fork Cemetery |
| Chester Memorial Gardens |
| Elmwood Cemetery |
| Evergreen Cemetery |
| Gold Mine Cemetery |
| Grant Cemetery |
| Guest Assembly Cemetery |
| Gunthorne Cemetery |
| Hopewell Cemetery |
| Howze Cemetery |
| Mount Hebron Cemetery |
| Mount Moriah Cemetery |
| Mount Moriah Cemetery |
| Mount Mpriah Cemetery |
| Mount Zion Cemetery |
| Old Purity Cemetery |
| Old Zion Cemetery |
| Stroud Cemetery |
| Sweet Hope Cemetery |
| Union Ezella Cemetery |
| William Martin Cemetery |
| Zion Cemetery |
| Zion Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church Graveyard |
Historical populated places — 6 of 6
| Name |
|---|
| Binghamtown |
| Calvin |
| Clarkson |
| Fudges |
| Lewisville |
| Tip Top |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Chester County, South Carolina
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