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Union County, South Carolina

34 topographic sheets and 7 fire insurance atlases across 1 place.

Research this county

From the record

33 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

South Carolina within the United States
Union County within South Carolina
Explore by year 1894 1927

What the record shows

  • 1 place in this county was surveyed for fire insurance: Union, between 1884 and 1947.
  • 7 fire insurance atlases survive for the county. Topographic coverage is national; fire insurance survey reached only incorporated places with something worth insuring.
  • 682 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 33 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 24 buildings, 6 districts and 3 sites.
  • 17 of the 33 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 53 populated places in this county; 53 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Photographs

7 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.

Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Mill Office, SC Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Mill Office, SC Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Worker's House, S.C. Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Worker's House, S.C. Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Worker's House, S.C. Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Worker's House, S.C. Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
William H. Gist House, U.S. Route 176, Union, Union County, SC
William H. Gist House, U.S. Route 176, Union, Union County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Mill Building, SC Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Mill Building, SC Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Carnegie Free Library, 300 East South Street, Union, Union County, SC
Carnegie Free Library, 300 East South Street, Union, Union County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Power Plant, S.C. Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Buffalo Cotton Textile Mill, Power Plant, S.C. Route 215, Buffalo, Union County, SC
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress

Places on the National Register

33

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
Battle of Blackstock's Historic Sitesite197474001885
Buffalo Mill Historic Districtdistrict199090001506
Cedar Bluffbuilding197474001886
Central Graded Schoolbuilding197878002534
Clinton Chapel AME Zion Churchbuilding2020100005047
Corinth Baptist Churchbuilding198989000939
Cross Keys Housebuilding197171000811
Culp Housebuilding197575001709
Judge Thomas Dawkins Housebuilding197373001735
East Main Street-Douglass Heights Historic Districtdistrict198989000796
Episcopal Church of the Nativitybuilding197474001881
Fair Forest Hotelbuilding198484000346
Nathaniel Gist Housebuilding201111000015
Herndon Terracebuilding197070000604
Hillsidebuilding197878002533
Gov. Thomas B. Jeter Housebuilding197474001882
McWhirter Housebuilding200303000272
Means Housebuilding197373001734
Meng Housebuilding197676001714
Merridunbuilding197474001883
Musgrove's Mill Historic Battle Sitesite197575001708
Padgett's Creek Baptist Churchbuilding197171000810
Pinckneyvillesite196969000175
Rose Hillbuilding197070000605
Sims High Schoolbuilding2023100009382
South Street-South Church Street Historic Districtdistrict198383002211
South Street-South Church Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)district198989000798
Union Community Hospitalbuilding199696000835
Union County Jailbuilding197474001884
Union Downtown Historic Districtdistrict198989000795
Union Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase)district200303000206
Union High School-Main Street Grammar Schoolbuilding198989000797
Woodland Plantationbuilding200101000607

Digitised newspapers

9 issues

Sampled issues, machine-read from the Library of Congress scan and published page by page, so every headline and column is searchable text.

The Union Times

Union, S.C., 1917 to 1918. Machine-read from the Library of Congress scan.

The Union Daily Times

Union, S.C., 1918 to Current. Machine-read from the Library of Congress scan.

The Union Times

Union, S.C., 1894 to 1918. Machine-read from the Library of Congress scan.

The county from the air

44 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 1,108 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 44 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, 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, 1949-11-11, scale 1:57000
1949-11-11, scale 1:57000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1949-11-11, scale 1:57000
1949-11-11, scale 1:57000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1949-11-11, scale 1:57000
1949-11-11, scale 1:57000. 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, 1950-10-31, scale 1:57000
1950-10-31, scale 1:57000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-10-31, scale 1:57000
1950-10-31, scale 1:57000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1950-10-31, scale 1:57000
1950-10-31, scale 1:57000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-03-09, scale 1:59000
1951-03-09, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-03-09, scale 1:59000
1951-03-09, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-03-09, scale 1:59000
1951-03-09, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-03-09, scale 1:59000
1951-03-09, 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, 1964-04-01, 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, 1966-03-08, scale 1:19000
1966-03-08, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-03-08, scale 1:19000
1966-03-08, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-03-08, scale 1:19000
1966-03-08, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1966-03-08, scale 1:19000
1966-03-08, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-04, scale 1:19000
1968-02-04, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-04, scale 1:19000
1968-02-04, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-04, scale 1:19000
1968-02-04, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1968-02-04, scale 1:19000
1968-02-04, 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, 1974-04-27, scale 1:58754
1974-04-27, scale 1:58754. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-04-27, scale 1:58754
1974-04-27, scale 1:58754. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-04-27, scale 1:59026
1974-04-27, scale 1:59026. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-04-27, scale 1:59005
1974-04-27, scale 1:59005. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-04-01, scale 1:78000
1975-04-01, scale 1:78000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1976-02-23, scale 1:33000
1976-02-23, scale 1:33000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1976-02-23, scale 1:33000
1976-02-23, scale 1:33000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1976-02-23, scale 1:33000
1976-02-23, scale 1:33000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1976-02-23, scale 1:33000
1976-02-23, scale 1:33000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

9 stations, 8 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

42 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.

  • 44-1Bogansville township: Bogansville township - That part east of Mitchell Creek and northeast of State Hwy. 112
  • 44-2Bogansville township - That part west of Mitchell Creek, southwest of State Hwy. 112, west of Rocky Creek and northeast of Fair Forest Creek
  • 44-3Bogansville township - That part southwest of Fair Forest Creek and northeast of U.S. Hwy. 176
  • 44-4Bogansville township - That part east of Rocky Creek, southwest of State Hwy. 112 and east of Fair Forest Creek
  • 44-5Bogansville township - That part southwest of U.S. Hwy. 176 and west of Fair Forest Creek
  • 44-6Cross Keys township
  • 44-7Fishdam township: Carlisle town
  • 44-8Fishdam township - That part outside Carlisle town
  • 44-9Goshen Hill township
  • 44-10Jonesville township: Jonesville town: Jonesville town - That part Bounded by Town limits; Town limits; S. Main, Haile, Forest; Town limits
  • 44-11Jonesville town - That part Bounded by Forest, Haile, S. Main; Town limits; Town limits; Town limits
  • 44-12Jonesville township - That part northeast of Southern Railway outside Jonesville town
  • 44-13Jonesville township - That part southwest of Southern Railway outside Jonesville town
  • 44-14Pinckney township: Lockhart, unincorporated: Lockhart, unincorporated - That part Bounded by State Hwy. 44-31, Northeasterly line to dam in Broad River, Dam; Broad River; State Hwy. 9; State Hwy. 9
  • 44-15Lockhart, unincorporated - That part Bounded by State Hwy 9; Broad River; Canal, State Hwy. 91; Unnamed road
  • 44-16Pinckney township - That part south of Reedy Branch, east of road from Reedy Branch to State Hwy. 92, north of State Hwy. 92, south of road from State Hwy. 92 to State Hwy. 98, east of State Hwy. 98 and north of Southern Railway, outside Lockhart, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Lockhart)
  • 44-17Pinckney township - That part east and south of State Hwy. 92, north of road from State Hwy. 92 to State Hwy. 98, west of State Hwy. 98 and north and east of Southern Railway
  • 44-18Pinckney township - That part north of Reedy Branch, west of road from Reedy Branch to State Hwy. 92, north and west of State Hwy. 92 and north of Southern Railway
  • 44-19Pinckney township - That part south and west of Southern Railway and west of State Hwys. 945 and 91
  • 44-20Pinckney township - That part south of Southern Railway and east of State Hwys. 945 and 91, outside Lockhart, unincorporated (See separate map for boundaries of Lockhart)
  • 44-21Santuc township: Santuc township - That part northeast of Southern Railway
  • 44-22ASantuc township - That part southwest of Southern Railway and northwest of Santuck - Beatys Bridge Rd., via Poplar Grove School, Thomas Chapel Church, and Tinker Creek School, and U.S. Hwy. 176
  • 44-22BSantuc township - That part southwest of Southern Railway and southeast of U.S. Hwy. 176 and Beatys Bridge - Santuck Rd., via Tinker Creek School, Thomas Chapel Church, and Poplar Grove School
  • 44-23Union township: Union city: Union city - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by City limits; City limits; Buffalo, Union and Carlisle Railroad; N. Pinckney, Unnamed street, U.S. Hwy. 176
  • 44-24Union city - That part of Ward 1 Bounded by Buffalo, Union and Carlisle Railroad; City limits; E. Main; N. Pinckney
  • 44-25Union city - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by E. Main; City limits; Scott, E. Cohen; Foster
  • 44-26Union city - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by E. Main; Foster; E. Cohen; S. Pinckney
  • 44-27Union city - That part of Ward 2 Bounded by E. Cohen, Scott; City limits; City limits; Beatty Ridge Rd.
  • 44-28Union city - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by W. Main; S. Pinckney; Gault, Herndon, Highland Dr.; Boyce
  • 44-29Union city - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by W. Main; Boyce; City limits; City limits
  • 44-30Union city - That part of Ward 3 Bounded by Highland Dr., Herndon, Gault; S. Pinckney, Beatty Ridge Rd.; City limits; Boyce
  • 44-31Union city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by City limits; U.S. Hwy. 176, Unnamed street, N. Pinckney; Buffalo, Union and Carlisle Railroad; City limits
  • 44-32Union city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by Buffalo, Union and Carlisle Railroad; Lyebrand, Green, Lawson, Spring, Blassingame, O'Shield, Evans; Virginia; City limits
  • 44-33Union city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by Spring, Lawson, Green; Lyebrand, Reservoir Ave., Lyebrand; W. Main; City limits, Virginia, O'Shield, Evans, O'Shield, Blassingame
  • 44-34Union city - That part of Ward 4 Bounded by Buffalo, Union and Carlisle Railroad; N. Pinckney; W. Main; Lyebrand, Reservoir Ave., Lyebrand
  • 44-35Buffalo, unincorporated: Buffalo, unincorporated - That part Bounded by 1/4 mile offset line north of and parallel to U.S. Hwy. 176; Buffalo Creek; U.S. Hwy. 176; Township line
  • 44-36Buffalo, unincorporated - That part Bounded by U.S. Hwy. 176; Buffalo Creek; Northwesterly line from junction of Buffalo Creek and Unnamed stream to junction of Unnamed road and Riley Rd.; Riley Rd., Township line
  • 44-37Monarch Mills, unincorporated; Monarch Mills, unincorporated - That part Bounded by Power line, Unnamed street, Unnamed street extended; 1 mile offset from Union city limits to State Hwy. 91; State Hwy. 91; Union city limits
  • 44-38Monarch Mills, unincorporated - That part Bounded by State Hwy. 91; 1 mile offset from Union city limits from State Hwy. 91 to Southern Railway; Southern Railway, Unnamed road, 5th; Union city limits
  • 44-39AUnion township - That part northeast of Buffalo Union Railway and State Hwy. 112, outside Union city and the unincorporated place of Monarch Mills. (See separate map for boundaries of Monarch Mills)
  • 44-39BUnion township - That part southwest of State Hwy. 112 and northeast of Buffalo Union Railway, outside Union city and the unincorporated place of Buffalo Mills. (See separate map for boundaries of Buffalo Mills)
  • 44-40Union township - That part south of Buffalo Union Railway, outside Union City and the unincorporated places of Buffalo Mills and Monarch Mills (See separate maps for boundaries of Buffalo Mills and Monarch Mills)

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

760 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 760 of them, burning about 3,060 acres. 42 started naturally and 47 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined336
Debris and open burning197
Arson/incendiarism47
Equipment and vehicle use45
Natural42
Misuse of fire by a minor30
Smoking18
Power generation/transmission/distribution15
Railroad operations and maintenance11
Recreation and ceremony9
Other causes9
Fireworks1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. One of them was set deliberately.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
27 January 2014Debris and open burning125 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
25 June 1993Missing data/not specified/undetermined60 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
5 April 2004Equipment and vehicle use57 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
5 April 2004Smoking55 acresFrancis Marion & Sumter National ForestsHWY 18
9 March 1993Railroad operations and maintenance55 acresFrancis Marion & Sumter National Forestsnot named
14 March 1992Missing data/not specified/undetermined55 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
15 March 1998Arson/incendiarism50 acresSouth Carolina Forestry Commissionnot named
25 June 1993Missing data/not specified/undetermined50 acresFrancis Marion & Sumter National Forestsnot named

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

Storms, 1957 to 2025

60 of 352 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 352 reports for this county, causing 2 deaths, 7 injuries and about $9,390,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind215
Hail96
Tornado22
Flash Flood9
Lightning8
Dust Devil1
Heavy Rain1

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 2017Tornado (EF1)Ada1 killed, $50,000NWS Storm survey found the path of an EF1 tornado that began around healing springs Church Road and Eaves Road, moving northeast between these Two Roads, then lifting near the intersection of Eaves Rd and old highway 176. A mobile home on Eaves Rd was overturned off its frame and flipped multiple times. A 65-year-old male occupant of the home was killed.
September 2013LightningUnion1 killedA 50 year old man was struck by lightning, while working on his truck, under a tree, in the yard. The incident took place Sunday September 1, 2013. The man died Thursday September 5, 2013.
April 1993Tornado (F2)Southside to2 hurt, $5,000,000Exactly an hour after producing the first severe weather in the upstate, the supercell produced its strongest tornado in South Carolina. A high F1/low F2 tornado struck Union. Property damage resulting from the tornado's winds was estimated about $500,000. More hail damage is likely as the hail accumulated to great depths very quickly and near the tornado track was quite large. Winds were estimated from 60 to 90 mph in downtown sections where plate glass windows were blown out. There was also considerable damage to trees and power lines along with damage from the wind-driven hail. Nearer the tornado track damage was more severe with large trees crushing some homes. Mobile homes were damaged or destroyed, and a couple of houses lost roofs from the wind. The large hail quickly clogged storm drains and an estimated 2 to 3 inches of rain fell causing $50,000 in water damage to equipment in the hospital. Highest winds from south of Union to near Monarch were estimated at 115 mph in a small area. Two people were slighlty injured when a falling tree crushed their car.
April 1957Tornado (F2)not stated2 hurt, $25,000no account filed
August 1994Tornado (F2)Lockhart to1 hurt, $500,000The tornado struck near Lockhart where a woman was injured when a mobile home was destroyed. The mobile home was picked up with a woman and son inside and tossed about 100 yards. Two brick homes were virtually destroyed in the same area. The tornado crossed into Cherokee County at 1810EST and moved to Gowdeysville where a church was destroyed and some homes severely damaged. Damage from the above tornadoes exceeded $800,000 in Cherokee County, about $600,000 in Union County, near $90,000 in Spartanburg County, and less than $10,000 in Greenwood County.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindUnion1 hurt, $14,000no account filed
June 2011LightningJohns1 hurtLightning struck at the Jonesville Fire Dept, causing minor hand injuries to a person inside.
November 2011Tornado (EF0)Carem$1,000,000An area of weak tornado damage was surveyed near the intersection of Neal Shoals Rd and Fairview Church Circle. Part of the roof was blown off a barn and shingles were removed from a house. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped in the area as well.
August 1994Tornado (F3)Santuck to$500,000Tornado began near Santuc as a large multi-vortex F3 tornado. Spotters engaged the storm almost immediately and followed it as it curved north to northwest through the County. The storm had intermittent ground contact of about 30 to 40 percent but there was not a great deal of separation between areas of damage. The path width gradually diminished to about 50 yards from 0.75 mile initially, and the storm intensity gradually weakened to F2 and then to F1 at Pauline. The tornado crossed into Spartanburg County near Pacolet Mills at 1545EST. A well constructed home near Santuc was destroyed, a stationary vehicle was thrown aout 150 yds, and other homes and structures received severe damage along its path.
August 1994Tornado (F1)Carlisle to$500,000This tornado was nearly parallel to the Santuc tornado described above. It moved along a track 2 to 3 miles east of the first storm and just a few minutes later. This tornado was not as large nor intense as the first tornado and was on the ground about 20 to 30 percent of the time. The most damage occurred around Carlisle where the roof of a restaurant was removed and homes and mobile homes were damaged - and at the end of its track at Cowpens where nearly $80,000 damage was done to homes and mobile homes. At Cowpens, one resident watched the tornado become stationary for a minute or so in an open field just before it dissipated. The tornado crossed into Cherokee County at 1600EST and into Spartanburg County at 1620EST. Spotters were able to follow both the above tornadoes for most of their paths through Union County.
April 2009Tornado (EF1)Mean Xrds$400,000NWS survey found an area of tornado damage that began about 3 miles southwest of Jonesville in the Proctor/Zig Zag Rd area. Several trees were snapped off or uprooted in this area and some outdoor objects blown around. The tornado moved almost due east to T Bishop Rd, where a mobile home was destroyed and another heavily damaged. Dozens of trees were also uprooted and snapped off in this area. The tornado continued along an intermittent path to the east before uprooting numerous pine and cedar trees on Jonesville Highway about 3 miles southeast of Jonesville. A 3-ton trailer was moved about 100 feet, and a home received minor roof damage at this location. The tornado continued on to Bob Little Rd, where a plant building received major roof damage. The tornado then damaged two mobile homes before lifting 3.5 SE of Jonesville.
May 2014HailUnion$250,000Spotters reported up to golf ball size hail that broke car windshields in the Union area.
May 2014HailUnion$250,000County comms reported that the second severe thunderstorm produced larger than baseball size hail on the west side of the city. Multiple car windshields were reportedly broken out and skylights were broken at a department store.
September 2004Flash FloodUnion$250,000no account filed
May 2020Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$50,000Public reported multiple trees and power lines blown down in Buffalo and in Monarch Mill, with some trees on houses in Monarch Mill.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindCross Keys$50,000Part of the roof was blown off a historic home. Trees were also blown down in and around Cross Keys. One tree fell on a car.
September 2004Tornado (F1)Union$50,000This tornado touched down east of the city of Union, then tracked north/northwest, blowing down and uprooting numerous trees, and rolling one mobile home. Other structural damage was limited to shingles and gutters.
July 2001LightningJonesville$50,000Lightning struck a garage business, destroying the building and a motorcycle located inside.
June 1994HailJonesville$50,000A massive severe thunderstorm moved south from the Shelby, NC, area into northern Cherokee County and moved slowly across the county. This was a major hail storm with golf ball- to baseball-size hail falling for more than an hour. The largest hail, and the most damage, seemed to occur in the area from south of Gaffney to Jonesville. Up to five inches of rain fell causing localized urban flooding - though none was reported to reach flash flooding levels. Some trees were blown down although the main impact was hail and rain.
May 1993Thunderstorm WindUnion$50,000Two severe thunderstorms developed and caused quite a bit of damage. A downburst was identified in the area from Fairview to south of Fountain Inn. The damage path was initially about 20 yards wide but spread to about 2 miles wide just before diminishing to a wind speed below severe criteria (where no more damage was found). A number of eye witnesses reported a small but distinct funnel embedded in the area of the downburst. The tornado seemed to be in the center to northern part of the damaged area. The small tornado mostly snapped off some trees. Most of the damage resulted from the downbursts. A porch was torn off a house at Fairview along with some downed trees. In the area between Fountain Inn and Owings some billboards were blown down, vinyl siding was blown off a house, a number of trees were downed (some fell on structures and mobile homes), and a few sheds and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Power was off in the area for a few hours. The hailstorm associated with the storm was impressive in amount but only reached marble-size and therefore caused little if any property damage. At Union, trees were downed at several locations in the city, a roof was blown off an outbuilding, and parts of the leachers at the county football stadium were destroyed.
June 2009LightningUnion$45,000Lightning ignited a fire at a home on Catherine St, causing significant damage.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindMean Xrds$30,000Public reported numerous trees blown down along Mud Bridge Rd, with a large tree down on a house, heavily damaging the roof. The roof was also blown off a barn. Additional trees and a damaged mobile home roof were reported elsewhere in western Union County.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindLockhart$30,000Several trees were blown down. One fell on a mobile home.
June 1992Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
August 1985Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 2018Thunderstorm WindWest Spgs$20,000County comms reported numerous trees and power lines down across Union County, with several trees down on homes in the city of Union.
March 2005Thunderstorm WindJonesville$20,000A boat was overturned and blown 20 feet in a lot along highway 9 North of Union. Two other boats were lifted and dropped at the same location. In Adamsburg, 2 tool sheds were flattened and a carport damaged by the wind. Several trees were also blown down at the same location.
April 1998LightningUnion$20,000no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindUnion$20,000no account filed
June 1996Thunderstorm WindUnion$20,000no account filed
November 2002Thunderstorm WindUnion$15,000Numerous trees were blown down. One fell on a house.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindMonarch Mills$10,000County comms reported multiple trees and power lines blown down on Osborne St, a tree down on a home on Beltline Rd, and large limbs down on Hart St.
October 2017Tornado (EF0)West Spgs$10,000NWS storm survey found a short tornado path in Union County along Haney Rd near the intersection of Mount Lebanon Rd. Damage was primarily limited to downed trees, although a couple of houses received minor exterior damage, while some underskirting was removed from a mobile home.
July 1997LightningUnion$10,000no account filed
September 2024Thunderstorm WindDelta$5,000Emergency manager reported multiple trees blown down in the area around Hickory Nut Hollow Rd and Eaves Rd, with one tree on a barn.
January 2020Thunderstorm WindSantuc$5,000NWS co-op observer reported multiple trees blown down, with one on a house in the Santuc area.
April 2017Thunderstorm WindAda$5,000NWS storm survey found an area of downburst wind damage that began about 100-200 yards south of a short tornado track and continued E/NE north of Carlisle. Multiple trees were blown down, with at least one tree down on a vehicle.
October 2015Heavy RainUnion$5,000Newspaper reported a combination of saturated soil and winds gusting in excess of 20 mph caused a tree to fall on a parked vehicle on Gault Ave.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindJonesville$5,000The roof was blown off of a mobile home.
July 2002LightningCross Keys$5,000Two cows were killed as a result of lightning. A grass fire was also started.
June 1999LightningBuffalo$5,000no account filed
June 1994Thunderstorm WindHerbert near$5,000no account filed
April 2005Thunderstorm WindUnion$3,000Tree fell on a car and a portable, elctronic sign was blown across a parking lot. Also, marble hail covered the ground.
June 1992Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
April 1997Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$2,000no account filed
September 2023Thunderstorm WindUnion$1,000Emergency manager reported a metal awning was blown off the roof of Union County High School. Some large tree limbs were also blown down in the area.
May 2014Thunderstorm WindJonesville$1,000EM and public reported multiple large tree limbs and a few trees blown down, mainly cross the north side of Jonesville, including the Gilead Hills Dr area. A couple of outbuildings also had some tin roofing removed.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindUnion$1,000Trees and powerlines were blown down along West Springs Highway.
March 2011Dust DevilAda$1,000no account filed
March 2025Thunderstorm WindCross Keys-Public reported several trees blown down in the Cross Keys area.
May 2025HailUnion-NWS employee reported 3/4 inch hail.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindCarem-County comms reported a tree blown down and blocking the intersection of Neal Shoals Rd and Davis Jeter Rd, with another tree blocking a road closer to Monarch Mill.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindBuffalo-County comms reported a tree blown down at Toney Rd & Meansville Rd and another tree down on Ingle Ave at Duncan Bypass.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindMean Xrds-County comms reported multiple trees blown down, from southwest of Jonesville, ESE across mainly the north side of the city of Union, from Pineland Rd and Timberlake Rd southeast to Barnado Rd and Woodberry Dr.
February 2024Thunderstorm WindJohns-County comms reported multiple trees and some power lines blown down across the northern half of Union county, including on Gaffney Highway, Proctor Rd, Forest St, and Vaughn Rd in Jonesville, and on Keys Highway, Meansville Rd, Rice Ave, and Hawkins Rd in and near the city of Union. Additionally, the AWOS at the Union County Airport measured a wind gust of 58 mph.
January 2024Thunderstorm WindJohns-Utility company reported trees blown down on power lines in the Jonesville area.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindSantuc-Utility company reported trees blown down on power lines.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindCarlisle-County comms reported multiple trees blown down near Carlisle.
May 2024HailSantuc-Public reported (via Social media) golf ball size hail in the Santuc area.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindUnion-County comms reported several trees and power lines blown down along Lakeside Dr.

Mines and quarries

19 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 19 workings inside this county. 1 still produces and 18 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Gold10
Sand and Gravel, Construction3
Sand2
Granite, Stone, Crushed/Broken1
Limestone, General1
Feldspar1
Copper1
Vermiculite1

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Gregory QuarryLimestone, GeneralPast Producer1908
Hyder Farm QuarryGranite, Stone, Crushed/BrokenPast ProducerIgneous
Mud MineGold, CopperPast Producer
Unnamed Feldpar MineFeldsparPast ProducerIgneous
VanceVermiculitePast ProducerMetamorphosed Igneous Intrusion
Cudd Sand MineSandUnknownSedimentary
Mullis MineSandUnknownSedimentary
Lockhart DredgeSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Sloan PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionUnknownSedimentary
Sloan PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Bogan MineGoldPast Producer
Mud MineGoldUnknownVein
Nott MineGoldUnknownVein
Nott MineGoldPast Producer
Ophir MineGoldPast Producer
Ophir MineGoldPast Producer
West MineGoldPast Producer
West MineGoldPast Producer
West Mine/Bogan OphirGoldUnknownVein

Every populated place in the county

53

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 1 place that was also surveyed for fire insurance comes first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.

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

Recorded here

Union, South Carolina

12 topographic sheets and 7 fire insurance atlases, 1884 to 1947

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

7 structures

The vanished settlements of Union 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.