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Chester County, South Carolina

37 topographic sheets and 11 fire insurance atlases across 2 places.

Research this county

From the record

19 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Carolina within the United States
Chester County within South Carolina

What the record shows

  • 2 places in this county were surveyed for fire insurance: Chester, Great Falls, between 1884 and 1947.
  • 11 fire insurance atlases survive for the county. Topographic coverage is national; fire insurance survey reached only incorporated places with something worth insuring.
  • 746 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 19 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 13 buildings, 4 districts and 2 structures.
  • 6 of the 19 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 57 populated places in this county; 57 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Photographs

2 photographs,

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Obadiah Sealy House, State Route 9, Chester, Chester County, SC
Obadiah Sealy House, State Route 9, Chester, Chester County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Rocky Mount Canal, Lock Keeper's House, Great Falls, Chester County, SC
Rocky Mount Canal, Lock Keeper's House, Great Falls, Chester County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Places on the National Register

19

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Catholic Presbyterian Churchbuilding197171000762
Chester City Hall and Opera Housebuilding197373001704
Chester Historic Districtdistrict197272001203
Chester Historic District (Boundary Increase)district198887000684
Colvin-Fant-Durham Farm Complexdistrict199292000961
Cornwell Innbuilding199494000044
Elliott Housebuilding197171000764
Finley High Schoolbuilding2025100011403
Fishdam Fordstructure197373001705
Great Falls Depotbuilding198080003664
Great Falls Downtown Historic Districtdistrict200000000588
Kumler Hallbuilding198383002190
Lando Schoolbuilding200909000485
Landsford Canalstructure196969000163
Landsford Plantation Housebuilding198786003520
Lewis Innbuilding197171000763
People's Free Library of South Carolinabuilding198282001520
James Phinney Housebuilding201616000714
Republic Theaterbuilding198080003665

Photographs from libraries nationwide

12 of 14 shown

Selected from the Digital Public Library of America's 14 image records catalogued for this county. Every one shown here carries a public-domain status or a licence that permits reuse on a site that carries advertising; non-commercial, share-alike and restricted images are excluded. The selection is spread across the county's towns (at most eight per town), so no single institution's bulk upload crowds out the rest. Each opens the holding library's record, and the complete set at the Digital Public Library of America is one click away.

Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Purity Presbyterian Church, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Purity Presbyterian Church, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Bethel Methodist Church, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Bethel Methodist Church, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Aaron Burr Rock, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Aaron Burr Rock, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Chester County Hospital, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Chester County Hospital, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Chester County Court House, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Chester County Court House, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Landsford Canal on Catawba River, eastern section Chester County, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Landsford Canal on Catawba River, eastern section Chester County, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
First Baptist Church, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
First Baptist Church, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Chester High School, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Chester High School, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
Chester County War Memorial, Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
Chester County War Memorial, Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.
One of the old Colonial homes in Chester, S. C., Boston Public Library - undated
One of the old Colonial homes in Chester, S. C.. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.

The county from the air

36 shown

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 1,031 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 36 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1947-02-02, scale 1:27200
1947-02-02, scale 1:27200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1947-02-02, scale 1:27200
1947-02-02, scale 1:27200. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1949-11-12, scale 1:57000
1949-11-12, scale 1:57000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-05-10, scale 1:59000
1951-05-10, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1961-06-23, scale 1:60000
1961-06-23, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1961-06-23, scale 1:60000
1961-06-23, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1961-06-23, scale 1:60000
1961-06-23, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1961-06-23, scale 1:60000
1961-06-23, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-02-20, scale 1:19000
1964-02-20, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-02-20, scale 1:19000
1964-02-20, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-02-20, scale 1:19000
1964-02-20, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-02-20, scale 1:19000
1964-02-20, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1965-02-18, scale 1:19000
1965-02-18, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1965-02-18, scale 1:19000
1965-02-18, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1965-02-18, scale 1:19000
1965-02-18, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1965-02-18, scale 1:19000
1965-02-18, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-01-26, scale 1:19000
1968-01-26, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-01-26, scale 1:19000
1968-01-26, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-01-26, scale 1:19000
1968-01-26, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-01-26, scale 1:19000
1968-01-26, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-03-11, scale 1:19000
1971-03-11, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-03-11, scale 1:19000
1971-03-11, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-03-11, scale 1:19000
1971-03-11, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-03-11, scale 1:19000
1971-03-11, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1976-07-21, scale 1:68000
1976-07-21, scale 1:68000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1976-07-21, scale 1:68000
1976-07-21, scale 1:68000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1976-07-21, scale 1:68000
1976-07-21, scale 1:68000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1976-07-21, scale 1:66000
1976-07-21, scale 1:66000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-03-01, scale 1:80000
1978-03-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-03-01, scale 1:80000
1978-03-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-03-01, scale 1:80000
1978-03-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-03-01, scale 1:80000
1978-03-01, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-03-01, scale 1:19600
1979-03-01, scale 1:19600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-03-01, scale 1:19600
1979-03-01, scale 1:19600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-03-01, scale 1:19600
1979-03-01, scale 1:19600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1979-03-01, scale 1:19600
1979-03-01, scale 1:19600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

10 stations, 4 gages

The thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that measured the flow of its streams, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.

The 1950 census, district by district

43 districts

Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.

  • 12-1Baton Rouge township: Baton Rouge township - That part north of State Hwy. 9
  • 12-2Baton Rouge township - That part south of State Hwy. 9 and west of State Hwy. 42
  • 12-3Baton Rouge township - That part south of State Hwy. 9 and east of State Hwy. 42
  • 12-4Blackstock township: Blackstock township - That part east of U.S. Hwy. 21
  • 12-5Blackstock township - That part west of U.S. Hwy. 21
  • 12-6Chester township: Chester city: Chester city - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by City limits; York; Seaboard Air Line Railroad; Center
  • 12-7Chester City - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by Seaboard Air Line Railroad; York; Center
  • 12-8Chester City - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by City limits; Center; Pinckney
  • 12-9Chester City - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by Pinckney; Center; West End; City limits
  • 12-10Chester city - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by Lancaster; City limits; Southern Railway
  • 12-11Chester city - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by Gadsden; Southern Railway; City limits; Columbia, York
  • 12-12Chester City - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by West End; Columbia; City limits
  • 12-13Chester city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by City limits; Lancaster; Southern Railway
  • 12-14Chester city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by City limits; Southern Railway; Saluda; York
  • 12-15Chester city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by Saluda; Southern Railway; Gadsden; York
  • 12-16Lowrys town
  • 12-17Baldwin-Aragon Mills, unincorporated: Baldwin-Aragon Mills, unincorporated - That part Bounded by Unnamed stream; Chester city limits; Seaboard Air Line Railroad; 1/4 mile offset line parallel to State Hwy. 9
  • 12-18Baldwin-Aragon Mills, unincorporated - That part Bounded by Seaboard Air Line Railroad; Chester city limits; 1/4 mile offset line parallel to State Hwy. 9
  • 12-19Eureka Mill, unincorporated Bounded by Southern Railroad, Grassy Run Branch of Rocky Creek, U.S. Hwy. 21; Unnamed road, Seaboard Air Line Railroad, Grassy Run Branch of Rocky Creek; State Hwy. 9; City limits
  • 12-20Chester township - That part east of Carolina and Northwestern Railway and northwest of Southern Railway outside Chester city, Lowrys town and Eureka, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Eureka, unincorporated)
  • 12-21Chester township - That part west of Carolina and Northwestern Railway and east of State Hwys. 31 and 907, outside Lowrys town and Chester city
  • 12-22Chester township - That part north of State Hwy. 9 and Dry Fork Creek and west of Carolina and Northwestern Railway, State Hwys. 31 and 907, outside Chester city, Lowrys town and Baldwin-Aragon Mills, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Baldwin-Aragon Mills)
  • 12-23Chester township - That part south of State Hwy. 9, outside Chester city and Baldwin-Aragon Mills, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Baldwin-Aragon Mills)
  • 12-24Chester township - That part north of State Hwy. 9, southeast of Southern Railway outside Eureka, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Eureka, unincorporated)
  • 12-25Halsellville township
  • 12-26Hazelwood township
  • 12-27Landsford township: Fort Lawn town
  • 12-28Landsford township - That part east of State Hwy. 5, outside Fort Lawn town
  • 12-29Landsford township - That part west of State Hwy. 5 and east of Tinkers Creek and Fishing Creek, outside Fort Lawn town
  • 12-30Landsford township - That part west of Tinkers Creek and Fishing Creek
  • 12-31Lewisville township: Edgemoor town
  • 12-32Richburg town
  • 12-33Lando, unincorporated (See boundaries shown on aerial photo OX 5B 19)
  • 12-34Lewisville township - That part northwest of Seaboard Air Line Railroad, outside Edgemoor town
  • 12-35Lewisville township - That part southeast of Seaboard Air Line Railroad, north of Fishing Creek and northwest of State Hwys. 32 and 9. outside Edgemoor town
  • 12-36Lewisville township - That part southeast of State Ewys. 9 and 32, south of Fishing Creek and north of Lancaster and Chester Railway, outside Richburg town and Lando, unincorporated (See aerial photo OX 5B 19 for boundaries of Lando)
  • 12-37Lewisville township - That part south of Lancaster and Chester Railway, outside Richburg town
  • 12-38Rossville township: Great Falls, unincorporated: Great Falls, unincorporated Bounded by Unnamed road, ext.; Wateree River; Unnamed street from Wateree River to Seaboard Air Line Railroad, Seaboard Air Line Railroad
  • 12-39Great Falls, unincorporated Bounded by State Hwy. 61, Unnamed road, ext.; Seaboard Air Line Railroad, Unnamed street from Seaboard Air Line Railroad to Wateree River, Wateree River; Rocky Creek; Winnsboro Rd.
  • 12-40Great Falls, unincorporated Bounded by Chester Rd.; Winnsboro Rd.; Rocky Creek; Unnamed stream, Unnamed road
  • 12-41Rossville township - That part north of State Hwy. 97
  • 12-42Rossville township - That part south of State Hwys. 97 and 61, west of State Hwy. 22, outside Great Falls, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Great Fall, unincorporated)
  • 12-43Rossville township - That part south of State Hwy. 97, east of State Hwy. 22 and north of State Hwy. 61 outside Great Falls, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Great Falls, unincorporated)

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

847 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 847 of them, burning about 3,755 acres. 34 started naturally and 70 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined355
Debris and open burning200
Arson/incendiarism70
Equipment and vehicle use70
Railroad operations and maintenance44
Natural34
Misuse of fire by a minor27
Smoking26
Power generation/transmission/distribution9
Recreation and ceremony6
Other causes6

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
14 April 2001Debris and open burning175 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
26 March 2017Natural130 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
20 July 2015Natural90 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
22 May 2004Natural90 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
3 September 2007Debris and open burning84 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
25 February 2017Debris and open burning75 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
5 July 2002Natural70 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
25 June 1996Missing data/not specified/undetermined68 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1955 to 2026

60 of 322 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 322 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 7 injuries and about $8,506,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind195
Hail94
Tornado19
Flash Flood7
Heavy Rain3
Flood2
Funnel Cloud1
Lightning1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 1994Tornado (F2)Lowrys1 killed, 4 hurt, $5,000,000A short-lived, but intense, mesocyclone developed along a squall line ahead of a cold front at about 0045 EST and moved into western Chester County. The mesocyclone intensified within a matter of 10 to 20 minutes into a F2 tornado that touched down four miles southwest of Lowrys and moved four miles to near Lowrys before dissipating. Three mobile homes completely disintegrated, three barns crushed, a new pickup truck was completely destoyed, four mobile homes were damaged, four people were injured (one seriously) and another killed. More than 2000 residents lost electrical power due to the tornado. F64M.
May 2020LightningChester1 killedCounty comms reported a 32-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning when getting out of his vehicle on York St.
June 1994Thunderstorm Windwest of Pageland1 hurt, $50,000A woman near Pageland talking on the phone was injured by lightning, and several trees down. A mobile home was overturned by the wind injuring the occupant. A nearby shop building was heavily damaged by the wind.
July 1997Flash FloodFt Lawn1 hurt, $43,000no account filed
June 1989Thunderstorm Windnot stated1 hurtno account filed
April 1981Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
April 2025Thunderstorm WindFt Lawn$100,000Emergency manager reported multiple trees blown down, some falling on homes, with damage to nine structures along Edwards Rd, River Rd, and connecting streets.
May 2020Tornado (EF1)Beckhamville$100,000NWS storm survey found a second tornado developed across southeast Chester County, beginning along Old Catholic Church Rd, a little over a mile south of Highway 97, or just west of I-77. The tornado initially moved east, crossing Interstate 77, and downing trees and snapping large limbs across Mountain Gap Road, Ross Dye Road and Georgetown Road, before turning southeast. The tornado crossed Highway 21 into the town of Great Falls and produced additional tree damage along Walnut Street, Hampton Street, Duke Street, and Republic Street. A house on Republic St received significant damage from a fallen tree. The tornado moved over the Catawba River southeast of Great Falls, crossing Big Island and Pickett Island before moving into southwest Lancaster County, where the tornado strengthened.
September 2004Tornado (F1)Chester$100,000This brief tornado blew down several trees and damaged or destroyed 2 small trailers shortly after touching down. It then moved north and lifted a portion of the roof from a well-constructed home. The garage wall was blown inward about 1 foot at this same location. A carport next to the home was also detroyed. Several trees were blown down and a small trailer destroyed at a hunting club before the tornado lifted.
March 1996Thunderstorm WindChester$100,000no account filed
July 2005Thunderstorm WindChester$75,000Two outbuildings were destroyed and a cinderblock well house was damaged at Dixie Stockyard along highway 21 near the York Co line. Shingles were torn off a house and a resteraunt on the premises. Two trees were blown down in this area, including a large oak tree that fell on and heavily damaged a vacant house.
February 2020Flash FloodLeeds$50,000Newspaper reported multiple streams overflowed their banks, inundating, and in some cases washing out multiple roads in western Chester County after up to 5 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, with much of that falling during the morning and early afternoon of the 6th.
July 2013Flash FloodFt Lawn$50,000Main Street and Church Streets were flooded in Fort Lawn. Water entered the Fort Lawn Methodist Church and the Fort Lawn fire department. The church sustained significant flood damage. Reaves Creek also flooded Shirley Road just outside of town. A couple dirt roads in the area were also washed out, including Harbor House Drive near the Catawba River.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindChester$45,000no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindLando$25,000A storm survey performed by NWS Columbia found straight line wind damage across eastern Chester County from Richburg and Fort Lawn to Great Falls. Other than numerous trees blown down (including trees that blocked I-77), a couple of gas station awnings were flipped in Fort Lawn and in Great Falls. The awning in Fort Lawn landed on a vehicle.
May 2020Tornado (EF1)Mc Keown$25,000NWS storm survey found the path of an EF1 tornado that touched down just off Highway 321 near Gregory Rd. The tornado initially moved east/southeast crossing Old Columbia Rd and Ross Rd but turned in a more southeasterly direction between Ross Rd and Boyd Rd. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted and large limbs snapped in this area. Structural damage was confined to some siding stripped off a home on Old Columbia Rd. The tornado continued to cause primarily tree damage as it moved across Boyd Rd and Aiken Chapel Rd although a mobile home was moved off its foundation and received moderate roof damage on Aiken Chapel Rd. The tornado continued southeast before lifting in the area around Discovery Rd. However another tornado later developed about 5 miles southeast of this location.
September 2004Thunderstorm WindGreat Falls$25,000Two tractor trailers flipped over on I-77 when the drivers lost control due to strong winds.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindLowrys$25,000Numerous trees were downed and a store sustained roof and wall damage.
April 2017Thunderstorm WindBaldwin Mills$20,000EM reported part of the roof was blown off a bank on Church St and metal roofing removed from a building on Beltline Rd. Numerous trees were also blown down across the city.
November 2011Tornado (EF1)Dinber$20,000This tornado initially touched down in a rural area of extreme northern Chester County, near the Lowrys community, just west of Darby Rd. The open farmland in this area made it difficult to follow the track, but several trees were blown down and part of the roof was removed from a home. The tornado traveled northeast, across Darby Rd before crossing into York County.
January 2007Thunderstorm WindLowrys$20,000Several pine trees were blown down and minor roof damage was reported to several homes along George Bridge Rd and Thompson Quarters Rd in extreme northwest Chester County. One tree fell on and destroyed a barn.
May 1996Tornado (F1)Richburg$20,000no account filed
April 2001Thunderstorm WindChester$15,000no account filed
September 1998Thunderstorm WindGreat Falls$15,000no account filed
July 1997Tornado (F1)Ft Lawn$15,000no account filed
January 2020Thunderstorm WindBaton Rouge$10,000Emergency manager reported numerous trees blown down near Highway 9 in western Chester County, including on Baton Rouge Rd, West Chester School Rd, and Slick Rock Rd. Trees were down on a couple of structures in this area.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindLowrys$10,000no account filed
June 2015Thunderstorm WindFt Lawn$7,000HAM radio operator and newspaper reported multiple trees down in Fort Lawn. One large tree fell on a vehicle on Diamond Ln. Another fallen tree caused minor damage to a home and destroyed an outbuilding.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindEdgemoor$5,000Public reported a large tree fell on a truck traveling along Harmony Baptist Church Rd.
March 2021Thunderstorm WindRichburg$5,000Emergency manager reported a section of roof torn off a mobile home on Old Mill Rd.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindGreat Falls$5,000Numerous trees and power lines down. At least 1 home was damaged by a fallen tree.
May 2003Thunderstorm WindChester$5,000Trees were blown down. One tree fell on a car.
May 1995Tornado (F0)Chester 9 WNW$5,000Small tornado touched down nine miles west-northwest of Chester on Prospect Church Road. It deroofed a barn, completely destroyed a small metal building and scattered its contents over a several hundred yard area.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindChester$3,000Numerous trees snapped off and uprooted around highway 97 northwest of Chester. In addition, some storage buildings were picked up and tossed about 50 feet. The damage was concentrated along a 2 to 3 mile long, one half mile wide swath. A home in the area received some damage to a chimney and an antenna.
May 1975Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
April 1955Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
March 2002FloodChester$2,000Torrential rainfall caused local flooding in Chester. Water entered at least 2 homes within a low-lying area of town.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindGreat Falls$1,000EM reported metal sheeting was ripped from a building in Great Falls.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindFt Lawn$1,000Power lines were blown down.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindChester$1,000A large tree was blown onto part of a house, causing relatively minor damage.
March 2002Thunderstorm WindLowrys$1,000Several trees and a power line were reported blown down.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindChester$1,000Trees and powerlines were blown down.
April 2002Thunderstorm WindChester$1,000A few trees were blown down.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindBlackstock-Utility company reported trees blown down on power lines and causing an outage along Hopewell Church Rd.
April 2025HailRichburg-Public reported a lot of penny size hail.
April 2025Thunderstorm WindRichburg-Public reported several large tree limbs blown down in the Richburg area.
March 2025Thunderstorm WindChester-Public reported (via social media) a couple of trees blown down around the city of Chester.
February 2024Thunderstorm WindWilksburg-County comms reported multiple trees and power lines blown down throughout Chester County.
May 2024HailLowrys-Public reported quarter to golf ball size hail in the Lowrys area.
May 2024HailRichburg-Public reported quarter to half dollar size in the Richburg area. A meteorologist (non-NWS) reported half dollar size hail in Fort Lawn.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindLeeds-County comms reported numerous trees blown down across Chester County.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindWilksburg-County comms reported several trees blown down between Lockhart and the city of Chester.
January 2023Thunderstorm WindMc Keown-Emergency manager reported numerous trees and large limbs blown down across the eastern half of Chester County.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindCornwell-Emergency manager reported around 10 trees blown down along with some power lines blown down in southern Chester County.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindChester-County comms reported multiple trees blown down between Chester and Great Falls.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWilksburg-County comms reported numerous trees and power lines blown down across all of Chester County, especially the northern part of the county, specifically in the Richburg and Fort Lawn areas.
November 2023Tornado (EF0)Leeds-NWS storm survey found the path of a very brief and weak tornado that touched down along Breeland Dr just off Leeds Rd. Damage consisted of a few downed large tree limbs and one split tree. Path length was estimated due to inaccessibility beyond Breeland Dr.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindBeckhamville-County comms reported multiple trees and power lines blown down from the Beckhamville community northeast to the Catawba River.
May 2022Tornado (EF0)Beckhamville-NWS storm survey found the short path of a weak tornado that touched down near Dewitt Rd between Mathis Dr and Ross Dye Rd and moved north-northeast, snapping numerous tree limbs and uprooting a few trees.
May 2022HailLowrys-Emergency manager reported quarter sized hail in Lowrys.

Mines and quarries

15 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 15 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 14 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction10
Stone, Crushed/Broken2
Clay1
Iron1
Gold1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Decker-Holway Steel--Richburg, ScIronUnknown
Peay MineGoldPast ProducerGold
Unidentified Clay MineClayPast ProducerMetamorphic
Unidentified Granite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenUnknownIgneous
Unidentified Granite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast ProducerMetamorphosed Igneous Intrusive
Chester County MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Dickerson Pit EastSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownSedimentary
Dickerson Pit EastSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Dickerson West PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownSedimentary
Dickerson West PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Fishing Creek MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownSedimentary
Susbybole Creek MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownUnconsolidated Sediments
Turkey Creek Mine No.2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownUnconsolidated Sediments
Unidentified MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownWeathering Residual
Unidentified Sand MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownWeathering Residual

Every populated place in the county

57

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on. The 2 places that were also surveyed for fire insurance come first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.

The vanished settlements of Chester County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Recorded here

Chester, South Carolina

13 topographic sheets and 9 fire insurance atlases, 1884 to 1947

Great Falls, South Carolina

12 topographic sheets and 2 fire insurance atlases, 1926 to 1938

Everything this county holds

The complete index, with nothing left out. Each of these is a separate record with its own page: a federal survey report, or the case file that argued a property on to the National Register. Both are public domain and reproduced word for word.

Surveyed structures

2 structures

The vanished settlements of Chester County, the places these records name that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.