BlockBefore

Greenwood County, South Carolina

59 topographic sheets and 19 fire insurance atlases across 2 places.

Research this county

From the record

22 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Carolina within the United States
Greenwood County within South Carolina

What the record shows

  • 2 places in this county were surveyed for fire insurance: Greenwood, Ninety Six, between 1884 and 1947.
  • 19 fire insurance atlases survive for the county. Topographic coverage is national; fire insurance survey reached only incorporated places with something worth insuring.
  • 1,775 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 22 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 17 buildings, 3 sites and 2 districts.
  • 5 of the 22 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 121 populated places in this county; 121 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Photographs

3 photographs, 2017

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.

Abandoned cabins in Greenwood County, South Carolina, near the small settlement of Kirksey
Abandoned cabins in Greenwood County, South Carolina, near the small settlement of Kirksey
Highsmith, Carol M, 2017. Library of Congress
Stony Point, Northeast corner of SC 246 & SC 39, Greenwood, Greenwood County, SC
Stony Point, Northeast corner of SC 246 & SC 39, Greenwood, Greenwood County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
D. B. Alexander House, 532 Calhoun Street, Greenwood, Greenwood County, SC
D. B. Alexander House, 532 Calhoun Street, Greenwood, Greenwood County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Places on the National Register

22

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
Barratt Housebuilding198585002382
J. Wesley Brooks Housebuilding197373001712
Edgewood Schoolbuilding2024100011212
Greenville Presbyterian Churchbuilding199898000561
Kinard Housebuilding200707000119
Lander College Old Main Buildingbuilding198484002046
Magnolia Cemeterysite200404000590
Moore-Kinard Housebuilding198383002198
Mt. Pisgah A.M.E. Churchbuilding197979002384
Ninety Six National Historic Sitedistrict196969000169
Old Cokesbury and Masonic Female College and Conference Schooldistrict197070000589
Old Greenwood Cemeterysite200202000115
Old Greenwood High Schoolbuilding198585003120
James C. Self Housebuilding198787002064
Southern Railway Depotbuilding201111000731
State Theatrebuilding2024100010398
Stony Pointbuilding197575001700
Sunnysidebuilding197878002515
Tabernacle Cemeterysite200808000736
The Oaksbuilding201010001040
Vance-Maxwell Housebuilding198282003866
Ware Shoals Innbuilding200707001130

Photographs from libraries nationwide

1 of 4 shown

Selected from the Digital Public Library of America's 4 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.

Lake Greenwood, "Buzzard Roost" in Greenwood County, South Carolina, Boston Public Library - undated
Lake Greenwood, "Buzzard Roost" in Greenwood County, South Carolina. Boston Public Library, via the Digital Public Library of America.

The county from the air

30 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 969 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 30 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, 1951-01-26, scale 1:59000
1951-01-26, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-01-26, scale 1:59000
1951-01-26, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-01-26, scale 1:59000
1951-01-26, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-01-26, scale 1:59000
1951-01-26, 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, 1962-02-07, scale 1:19000
1962-02-07, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-02-07, scale 1:19000
1962-02-07, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-02-07, scale 1:19000
1962-02-07, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-02-07, scale 1:19000
1962-02-07, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-04-01, scale 1:50000
1964-04-01, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-04-01, scale 1:50000
1964-04-01, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-04-01, scale 1:50000
1964-04-01, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-04-01, scale 1:50000
1964-04-01, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-03-05, scale 1:19000
1966-03-05, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-03-05, scale 1:19000
1966-03-05, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-02-20, scale 1:19000
1969-02-20, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-02-20, scale 1:19000
1969-02-20, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-02-20, scale 1:19000
1969-02-20, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-02-20, scale 1:19000
1969-02-20, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-03-09, scale 1:19000
1970-03-09, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-03-09, scale 1:19000
1970-03-09, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-03-09, scale 1:19000
1970-03-09, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1970-03-09, scale 1:19000
1970-03-09, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-03-05, scale 1:24000
1972-03-05, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-03-05, scale 1:24000
1972-03-05, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-03-05, scale 1:24000
1972-03-05, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1972-03-05, scale 1:24000
1972-03-05, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

28 stations, 2 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

75 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.

  • 24-1School District 1, Algary
  • 24-2School District 2, Ware Shoals: Ware Shoals, unincorporated: Ware Shoals, unincorporated - That part Bounded by Beluda River (County line), Unnamed road; Main; N. Greenwood Ave.; County line
  • 24-3Ware Shoals, unincorporated - That part Bounded by N. Greenwood Ave.; W. Main; Turkey Creek; County line
  • 24-4Ware Shoals, unincorporated - That part Bounded by W. Main, Main; Unnamed road; Smith; Turkey Creek
  • 24-5Ware Shoals, unincorporated - That part Bounded by Smith, Unnamed road; Saluda River (County line); Unnamed stream; U.S. Hwy. 25
  • 24-6Ware Shoals, unincorporated - That part Bounded by Smith; U.S. Hwy. 25; Unnamed road; Turkey Creek
  • 24-7School District 2, Ware Shoals - That part outside Ware Shoals, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Ware Shoals)
  • 24-8School District 3, Walnut Grove
  • 24-9School District 4, Hodges: Hodges town
  • 24-10School District 4, Hodges - That part outside Hodges town
  • 24-11School District 5, Leith
  • 24-12School District 6, Ellis
  • 24-13School District 7, Cokesbury
  • 24-14School District 8, Andrews Chapel
  • 24-15School District 9, Coronaca
  • 24-16School District 10, Saluca
  • 24-17School District 11, Pine Grove
  • 24-18School District 12, Woodlawn
  • 24-19School District 13, Ninety - Six: Ninety - Six town: Ninety - Six town - That part north of Southern Railroad and west of S. Cambridge
  • 24-20Ninety - Six town - That part south of Southern Railroad and east of S. Cambridge mill
  • 24-21Ninety Six Mill, unincorporated Bounded by Southern Railroad; School District line; Saluda Hwy.; Ninety - Six town limits
  • 24-22School District 13, Ninety - Six - That part outside Ninety - Six town and Ninety Six Mill, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Ninety Six Mill)
  • 24-23School District 15, Utopia
  • 24-24South Greenwood, unincorporated, comprising parts of School Districts 16, Lebanon end 18, Greenwood: South Greenwood, unincorporated - That part in School District 16, Lebanon Bounded by School District line; S. Main (State Hwy. 22); New Market Rd.; Georgia and Florida Railroad
  • 24-25South Greenwood, unincorporated - That part in School District 18, Greenwood Bounded by S. Main, (State Hwy. 22); School District line; Mathews Rd.; School, Kirksey Dr.
  • 24-26South Greenwood, unincorporated - That part in School District 18, Greenwood Bounded by S. Main (state Hwy. 22); Kirksey Dr., School; Mathews Rd.; Greenwood city limits
  • 24-27South Greenwood, unincorporated - That part in School District 18, Greenwood Bounded by Mathews Rd.; School District line; Georgia and Florida Railroad; Bonds
  • 24-28School District 16, Lebanon - That part outside the unincorporated place of South Greenwood. (See separate map for boundaries of South Greenwood) (Remainder of School District 16, Lebanon, is in South Greenwood unincorporated)
  • 24-29School District 17, Quarry
  • 24-30School District 18, Greenwood, outside the unincorporated place of South Greenwood: Greenwood city: Greenwood city - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by Millwee, New Market, Wilson Creek; City limits; New Market, E. Creswell; Southern Railroad
  • 24-31AGreenwood city - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by E. Creswell; Brooks; Wade Hts., High - Side Ave., Plowden, Phoenix, City limits; Southern Railway
  • 24-31BGreenwood city - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by E. Creswell; New Market, City limits; Phoenix; Plowden, High - Side Ave., Wade Hts., Brooks
  • 24-32Greenwood city - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by Charleston and Western Carolina Railroad; Southern Railroad; City limits; City limits
  • 24-33Greenwood city - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by E. Cambridge; City limits; Wilson Creek, New Market, Millwee; Gage, Baptist, Gilliam, Hackett, Chipley Ave., New Market
  • 24-34Greenwood city - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by E. Cambridge; New Market; Chipley Ave., Hackett, Gilliam, Baptist; Byrd, Dele
  • 24-35Greenwood city - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by E. Cambridge; Dale, Byrd; Magnolia, Phoenix, Fair; Southern Railroad, Oregon, N. Main
  • 24-36Greenwood city - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by Magnolia; Byrd, Baptist, Gage; Millwee; Southern Railroad, Fair, Phoenix
  • 24-37Greenwood city - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by City limits; North Ave.; Sproles; Wilson
  • 24-38Greenwood city - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by City limits; Wilson, Crews, Calhoun Ave.; W. Cambridge; City limits
  • 24-39Greenwood city - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by Sproles; North Ave., Ward line, Elm Court, Werd line, McKeller; E. Cambridge; Calhoun Ave., Crews, Wilson
  • 24-40Greenwood city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by City limits; City limits; E. Cambridge; Cokesbury Rd.
  • 24-41Greenwood city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by City limits; Cokesbury Rd.; Reynolds; Ward line, North Ave.
  • 24-42Greenwood city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by Reynolds; Cokesbury Rd.; E. Cambridge; McKellar, Ward line, Elm Court, Ward line
  • 24-43Greenwood city - That part of Ward 5 Bounded by W. Cambridge; N. Main, Oregon; Southern Railroad, Mill; Kitson
  • 24-44Greenwood city - That part of Ward 5, excluding Connie Maxwell Orphanage and Infirmary (part) Bounded by W. Cambridge; Kitson, Lowell, Mathis Rd.; Haxwell Ave.; City limits
  • 24-45Connie Maxwell Orphanage and Infirmary - That part in Greenwood city, Ward 5 (Remainder of Connie Maxwell Orphanage and Infirmary is in Greenwood city, Ward 6)
  • 24-46Greenwood city - That part of Ward 5, excluding Oregon Hotel Bounded by Lowell, Kitson, Mill; Southern Railroad; Maxwell Ave.; Methis Rd.
  • 24-47Oregon Hotel (In Greenwood city, Ward 5)
  • 24-48Greenwood city - That part of Ward 6 Bounded by Maxwell Ave.; Southern Railroad; Southern Railroad; Spring, Marion, Edgefield Ave.
  • 24-49Greenwood city - That part of Ward 6 Bounded by Maxwell Ave.; Edgefield Ave., Marion, Spring; City limits; Seaboard Air Line Railroad
  • 24-50Greenwood city - That part of Ward 6, excluding Connie Maxwell Orphanage and Infirmary (part) Bounded by Maxwell; Ave. Seaboard Air Line Railroad; City limits
  • 24-51Connie Maxwell Orphanage and Infirmary - That part in Greenwood city, Ward 6 (Remainder of Connie Maxwell Orphanage and Infirmary is in Greenwood city, Ward 5)
  • 24-52School District 18, Greenwood, outside Greenwood city and the unincorporated place of South Greenwood: School District 18, Greenwood - That part Bounded by School District line; School District line; State Hwy. 702, Greenwood city limits; U.S. Hwy. 25
  • 24-53School District 18, Greenwood - That part Bounded by School District line; U.S. Hwy. 25, Greenwood city limits; State Hwy. 702; School District line
  • 24-54School District 18, Greenwood - That part Bounded by State Hwy. 702 Greenwood city limits, Georgia and Florida Railroad, School District line; School District line; School District line
  • 24-55South Greenwood, unincorporated - That part in School District 18, Greenwood Bounded by Greenwood city limits; Greenwood city limits, Mathews Rd.; Bonds; Georgia and Florida Railroad
  • 24-56School District 18, Greenwood - That part Bounded by State Hwy. 702; School District line; State Hwy. 22; Greenwood city limits (Remainder of School District 18, Greenwood, is in South Greenwood, unincorporated)
  • 24-57School District 19, Calhoun
  • 24-58School District 20, Salem
  • 24-59School District 21, Verdery
  • 24-60School District 22, Whitehall
  • 24-61School District 24, Bradley
  • 24-62School District 27, Troy: Troy town
  • 24-63School District 27, Troy - That part outside Troy town
  • 24-64School District 31, Union
  • 24-65School District 32, Bold Spring
  • 24-66School District 34, Kirksey
  • 24-67School District 35, Pittsburg
  • 24-68School District 37, Phoenix
  • 24-69School District 38, Utopia
  • 24-70School District 39, Fellowship
  • 24-71School District 40, Sandridge
  • 24-72School District 41, Oak Grove
  • 24-73School District 42, Fairview
  • 24-74School District 44, Central

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

1,036 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 1,036 of them, burning about 3,294 acres. 24 started naturally and 55 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined551
Debris and open burning231
Equipment and vehicle use64
Arson/incendiarism55
Misuse of fire by a minor44
Smoking31
Natural24
Railroad operations and maintenance23
Power generation/transmission/distribution7
Other causes4
Fireworks1
Recreation and ceremony1

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 March 1994Railroad operations and maintenance190 acresFrancis Marion & Sumter National Forestsnot named
16 September 1999Debris and open burning105 acresFrancis Marion & Sumter National ForestsCRESWELL
16 September 1999Debris and open burning100 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
18 March 2018Natural85 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
7 June 2002Natural80 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
20 July 2006Natural71 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
1 October 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined62 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
16 September 1999Debris and open burning60 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named

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

Storms, 1958 to 2025

60 of 417 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 417 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 31 injuries and about $20,341,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind252
Hail110
Tornado20
Flash Flood14
Lightning10
Flood7
Heavy Rain3
Strong Wind1

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
December 1973Tornado (F4)not stated2 killed, $2,500,000no account filed
December 1973Tornado (F3)not stated26 hurt, $2,500,000no account filed
December 1973Tornado (F3)not stated2 hurt, $2,500,000no account filed
November 1989Tornado (F2)not stated1 hurt, $250,000no account filed
June 2001LightningGreenwood1 hurtLightning struck one person at Lake Greenwood State Park. The victim was taken to the hospital, where he eventually recovered.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindWare Shoals1 hurtno account filed
April 1993Tornado (F1)Greenwood and Laurens$5,000,000no account filed
March 2008HailBradley$2,800,000The combination of strong winds and hail up to golfball size damaged 507 structures in the far southern part of the county. Estimated damage in the form of broken windows, damaged roofs and siding was 2.8 million dollars. Most of the damage occurred between highways 221 and 25.
March 1973Tornado (F4)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
April 2009Tornado (EF1)Grendel Mills$300,000A second tornado path was found a couple of miles north of the main tornado track through Greenwood. This tornado began on Karlie Ct just off Laurel Rd. Once again, numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off. However, more structural damage was observed along this path. Several homes received minor to moderate roof damage. Siding and gutters were blown off a few homes as well. A home near the end of the path received the most significant, damage, with part of the roof completely blown off and and the collapse of an adjacent exterior wall. A storage trailer was also blown over in this area. Also, a tree fell across a train track on Emerald Rd, causing a train to derail.
October 2015FloodGodsey$250,000After early morning flash flooding, rain rates moderated across the lower Piedmont, but flooding continued and gradually expanded, with high water conditions remaining in place throughout much of the 4th. At the height of the event, at least a dozen roads were closed due to urban/drainage flooding issues or due to lingering high flow conditions on small streams, especially in the city of Greenwood and surrounding areas. In addition to the flooding, the combination of saturated soils and winds gusting in excess of 20 mph caused numerous trees to fall throughout this period of time. Several trees fell on homes in the city of Greenwood.
January 2023Tornado (EF1)Harris$200,000NWS storm survey found the path of an EF1 tornado that began near the intersection of Deadfall Rd and North Acres Rd where scattered large trees were uprooted or snapped. The tornado then intensified as it moved east/ northeast, paralleling Deadfall Rd crossing Cokesbury Rd, where numerous large trees were uprooted or snapped, with some trees down on homes. Extensive damage to two houses were found in this area. The tornado weakened as it approached Green Oaks Rd, with additional tree damage before the path was lost in an inaccessible area on the west side of the Greenwood County Airport. However, an official measured wind gust of 75 mph at the airport was assumed to be associated with the remnant circulation. No additional damage was found downstream of the airport.
April 2009Tornado (EF1)Harris$200,000NWS survey identified a tornado path that began near the intersection of Hunters Creek Bvd and Woodlawn Rd. The tornado continued east/southeast across the south side of Greenwood, uprooting or snapping off numerous trees along the path. The hardest hit area was around Edgefield St, where numerous trees were damaged. Some trees fell on and seriously damaged homes. Other homes received significant roof damage.
December 2015Flash FloodIrving$150,000Emergency Manager reported flash flooding developed after 2-3 inches of rain fell across the county in just a few hours. Numerous roads, as much as a couple of dozen were closed in the central part of the county due to a combination of stream flooding and drainage problems. This included portions of Highway 25 and the Bypass in the city of Greenwood. Several homes were flooded along Parkland Place Rd near Emerald Rd, likely due to Stockman Branch overflowing its banks.
March 1995Tornado (F1)Greenwood$125,000no account filed
March 1995Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$125,000no account filed
July 2010LightningNinety Six$100,000no account filed
May 1998Tornado (F1)Hodges$75,000A weak tornado touched down near the Abbeville county line and moved east-southeast damaging some buildings, lifting a pick-up truck off the ground and lodging it in a tree, and killing goats and pigs. Hundreds of trees were downed in the Creekside subdivision.
August 1996Thunderstorm WindGreenwood Co Arpt$75,000no account filed
July 2013Flash FloodGrendel Mills$50,000Significant urban flooding developed, with several roads flooded across the northwest part of the city. Also, Sample Branch flooded Sample Road and flooded a home. The residents of the home were evacuated. A police cruiser was flooded at this location. Woodlawn Road was closed between highway 72 and highway 10 due to flooding along Big Curltail Creek. Four homes were evacuated in this same area in the Gatewood Community at Woodbridge Road.
December 2009Thunderstorm WindIrving$50,000A downburst damage pattern began near the intersection of highway 25 and Keels Rd, about 5 miles northwest of Greenwood. Tree damage was sporadic in this area, before becoming more widespread in locations around Highland Dr and Rutledge Rd. A tree fell on a carport and some shingles were blown off a home on North Lake Dr. Finally, a large tree fell on and significantly damaged an animal hospital on highway 72 on the northeast side of town.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$50,000Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down, some onto vehciles and homes. The ASOS at Greenwood Airport measured a gust to 51 kts.
March 1993Thunderstorm WindS Portion$50,000A mobile home was moved off its foundation, a shed was destroyed, and several trees and power lines were blown down. Most damage was in Ninety Six, Callison, Troy and Bradley areas.
August 1994Tornado (F0)Ware Shoals$50,000no account filed
May 2021Tornado (EF1)Harris$40,000NWS storm survey determined the path of an EF2 tornado that tracked almost the length of Abbeville County moved into Greenwood County with EF1 intensity at Johns Creek Rd. The tornado moved almost due east, crossing Deadfall Rd West, Calhoun Rd just west of Highway 25 before finally lifting near Highway 25 along the northern outskirts of the city of Greenwood. Damage was primarily limited to uprooted hardwoods and snapped softwoods in Greenwood County, although a couple of storage buildings received minor to moderate damage. The total path length of over 29 miles made this the longest tornado track in upstate South Carolina since 1994.
August 2000LightningGreenwood$35,000Lightning struck a house and caused a fire to break out in the attic and second floor.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindVerdery$25,000Emergency manager reported numerous trees and some power lines blown down across the county, with three trees down on homes and some blocking roads.
June 2004LightningGreenwood$25,000Intense lightning caused a fire at an industrial site. In addition, at least 15 transformers were struck, causing power outages to over 1000 customers.
November 1995Tornado (F0)Troy$25,000A weak tornado touched down in the northeast edge of the town of Troy and moved east northeast at 60 mph. The tornado moved into a small area of McCormick County and then back into Greenwood County. Damage was primarily limited to downed trees and power lines but some roof damage to homes was reported and some outbuildings were destroyed.
July 1996Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$25,000no account filed
November 1995Tornado (F0)Troy$25,000no account filed
May 1984Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
April 2018Thunderstorm WindGrendel Mills$20,000County comms reported multiple trees blown down across the north side of Greenwood. A tree fell on a home on Terrace Way and another tree fell on and damaged the roof of an apartment building on Gracie St. Other trees were blown down on Cokesbury Rd and Highland Dr.
June 2015Flash FloodHarris$15,000County comms and the public reported severe urban and small stream flash flooding developed in Greenwood after 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in less than two hours. The bridge over Sample Branch on Dry Branch Ct was flooded. Sweetwater Rd was covered with water when Brightmans Creek overflowed its banks. Urban flooding was reported on the Highway 72 Bypass and in a couple of spots on Main St S. In addition to the flooding, the heavy rain caused about a dozen trees to fall throughout the city, with one tree falling on a vehicle and another on a home.
December 2024Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$10,000County comms reported a tree blown down at Oak Forest Dr and Chinquapin Rd and another tree down on a house on nearby Creek Rd East. Multiple trees were also blown down on the north side of the city of Greenwood near the intersection of Montague Ave and Cobb Rd. This was shortly before a gust of 53 mph was measured at the Greenwood County airport.
August 2023Thunderstorm WindWare Shoals$10,000County comms reported a tree blown down on house near W Fleming St in Ware Shoals.
March 2021Thunderstorm WindHodges$10,000Emergency mngr reported multiple trees blown down from Hodges to the east side of Greenwood. One tree was down on a house on Chestnut Ct.
February 2020FloodShoals Jct$10,000Although heavy rainfall tapered off across Greenwood County through the afternoon and evening, runoff from the earlier day excessive rainfall resulted in continued high water conditions, with multiple roads closed throughout the county through the evening hours.
February 2020Flash FloodShoals Jct$10,000Newspaper reported flash flooding developed mainly across northern and central Greenwood County after 4 to 5 inches of rain fell in about 24 hours with much of that falling during the morning and early afternoon of the 6th. Multiple roads were closed due to a combination of poor drainage as well as small stream flooding. Dunns Creek inundated Dunns Creek Rd in the far northern part of the county while Bogg Creek flooded Ross Rd in the Hodges area. At least four roads were closed in the city of Greenwood including Mathis Rd Sample Rd Rockcreek Blvd and New Market Street.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindBradley$10,000Emergency manager reported numerous trees blown down across southwest Greenwood County, with portions of Highway 221, Highway 25, and Highway 10 blocked by downed trees. Several trees also fell on vehicles in this area. Public also reported multiple trees down on Hollingsworth Rd.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$10,000County comms reported numerous trees and power lines blown down across the county. One tree fell on a house on Lindsey Ave in Greenwood.
November 2002Thunderstorm WindVerdery$10,000Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in a 3-mile wide swath across portions of southern Greenwood County. Although conclusive evidence of a tornado did not exist, there were at least 2 reports of a tornado, and it is possible that a weak tornado was embedded within the broader region of downburst winds.
February 1997Thunderstorm WindCokesbury$10,000no account filed
October 1994Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$6,000no account filed
May 2025Flash Flood(Grd)Greenwood Co Ar$5,000County comms reported flash flooding developed across the north side of the city of Greenwood after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell over the city in only 2-3 hours. The main impact was to Rocky Creek, which overflowed its banks and inundated portions of Haltiwanger Rd and Rockcreek Blvd. An apartment complex on Haltiwanger Rd was evacuated after bring threatened by floodwater. Multiple roads were reportedly closed throughout the city due to a combination of urban flash flooding and small stream inundation.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$5,000County comms and Highway Patrol reported multiple trees blown down across roads in southwest Greenwood County, from the intersection of Alexander and Briarwood Rd, south to just north and east of Bradley. Part of a roof was reported to be damaged on Breezewood Rd east of Bradley.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindNinety Six$5,000EM and newspaper reported multiple trees, limbs, and power lines blown down in the Ninety-Six area, with one tree on a garage on Lowell St.
July 2003Heavy RainGreenwood$5,000During a heavy rainstorm, an air conditioner fell through the roof of a business when the weight of the accumulating rainfall became too great.
July 2003LightningGreenwood$5,000Lightning strikes caused sporadic, minor damage throughout the city.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindNinety Six$5,000A tree was blown onto a vehicle.
February 1995Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$5,000Heavy rain of three to five inches caused a few local flood problems in northern parts of Greenville. The Reedy River reached 9 to 10 feet causing some minor flooding in the downtown area. Another mud and rock slide affected Highway 130 in northern Oconee County. Flooding closed several roads in Pickens and Spartanburg Counties. A large severe thunderstorm moved across Lake Russell into Abbeville County nd then across Greenwood. Although the storm was clearly rotating. It apparently only produced wind gusts at the surface in the 50 knot range. Large limbs blown across lines caused power outages at Calhoun Falls and a number of trees and power lines were blown down around Greenwood. The storm weakened rapidly as it moved across southern Laurens County.
November 1994Thunderstorm WindGreenwood$5,000Winds toppled a tree into an apartment building causing significant damage to building.
February 1998HailCokesbury$5,000no account filed
January 1996LightningGreenwood$5,000no account filed
January 2020FloodCambridge$4,000Emergency manager reported flooding developed in several areas across Greenwood County after 1.5 to 3 inches of rain fell in several hours. This came on the heels of a one-inch rainfall event over the 11th and 12th. Multiple roads were closed throughout the county due to high water levels. Most of this was due to poor drainage problems. However, a couple of streams also flooded, including Rock Creek in the city of Greenwood, which inundated Mathis Rd at Cobb Rd and Rockcreek Blvd.
June 2000LightningNinety Six$4,000no account filed
April 1991Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
April 1958Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500no account filed
July 2025Thunderstorm WindCallison$2,000Public reported the metal roof was ripped off of a barn.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindNinety Six$2,000Public reported a large tree limb fell on a house.

Mines and quarries

17 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 17 workings inside this county. 4 still produce and 13 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Clay5
Gold4
Stone, Crushed/Broken3
Sand and Gravel, Construction2
Granite, Stone, Crushed/Broken1
Stone, Dimension1
Limestone, General1

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Benjamin Granite QuarryStone, DimensionUnknownIgneous
Martins KilnLimestone, GeneralPast ProducerMetamorphic
Unidentified Granite QuarryGranite, Stone, Crushed/BrokenPast ProducerMetamorphosed Igneous Intrusive
Ware Shoals DivisionSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownPlacer , Modern , Fluvial
Ware Shoals DredgeSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Greenwood Granite QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenUnknownMetamorphic
Greenwood QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Wilson QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducerIgneous Intrusion
Bradley MineGoldUnknown1848
Bradley MineGoldPast ProducerPlacer
Bradley ProspectGoldOccurrence
Young MineGoldPast Producer
Jones Shale PitClayUnknownMetamorphic
Ninety Six MineClayProducer
Ninety Six Mine EastClayUnknownMetamorphic
Ninety Six Mine WestClayUnknownMetamorphic
Werts Shale PitClayUnknownMetamorphic

Every populated place in the county

121

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 Greenwood County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Recorded here

Greenwood, South Carolina

15 topographic sheets and 10 fire insurance atlases, 1884 to 1947

Ninety Six, South Carolina

15 topographic sheets and 9 fire insurance atlases, 1884 to 1934

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

3 structures

The vanished settlements of Greenwood 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.