Gowensville, South Carolina
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1907 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Highland census division. It lies in ZIP code area 29356. It stands on Belue Creek. The Survey maps it on the Campobello quadrangle.
On record in Gowensville
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Campbell's Covered Bridgelisted 2009
Surveyed buildings and structures 1 record
- Chapman's Bridge, Highway 414, Keonee-Toxaway State Park, Gowensvillefederal building survey, 1 photograph
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 15 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1907 USGS Saluda quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Knoxville quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Knoxville quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Knoxville quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Inman quadrangle1:62500
- 1964 USGS Knoxville quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Campobello quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Hendersonville quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
78 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 78 fires within 5 miles of Gowensville between 1992 and 2018, burning about 573 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 8 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 29 |
| Debris and open burning | 24 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 8 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Other causes | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2002 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 1999 | Smoking | 2.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 11 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 August 2006 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 August 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 11 August 2008 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 July 2002 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 July 2002 | Debris and open burning | 3.5 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Gowensville: 2 past producers, 1 unknown, 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Iron, Feldspar, Mica. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feldspar/Mica Mine | Feldspar, Mica | Past Producer | ||
| Stanley Adkins Prospect | Iron | Occurrence | ||
| Cureton Mine | Gold | Past Producer | 1908 | |
| Wolf & Tyger Placer | Gold | Unknown | Placer |
Storms near this place
14 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gowensville in 14 storm reports between 2006 and 2025: 8 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2017 | Tornado (EF1) | Gowensville | $50,000 | NWS storm survey found an area of tornado damage in the Lake Lanier area in extreme norteast Greenville County. Tornado impacted the Lake Lanier area. The tornado initially touched down about a half mile south of the lake, blowing down numerous trees, causing mostly minor structural damage to homes and damaging multiple outbuildings, although one home did have a large part of its roof removed. Some trees fell on structures and vehicles. The tornado moved almost due north to the lake, with additional damage noted on both shores. No further damage was found north of the lake in South Carolina. |
| October 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Gowensville | $1,000 | NWS Storm Survey team found the short path of a weak tornado near Gowensville. The tornado touched down near the intersection of Highway 11 and Tugaloo Rd and moved quickly northeast, blowing down numerous trees and blowing the roof off a shed on Good Rd, where the tornado lifted. |
| August 2017 | Flash Flood | Gowensville | $500 | NWS employee reported flash flooding developed after 2.5 to over 4 inches of rain fell over the Gowensville and Blue Ridge areas in just a few hours. Campbell Creek overflowed its banks and flooded portions of Tugaloo Rd and Stone Cottage Ln. A tributary of the Middle Tyger River also flooded a portion of Lister Rd. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Gowensville | - | Public reported 3/4 inch hail near the intersection of Highways 14 and 414. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Gowensville | - | CoCoRahs observer reported quarter size Hail Just SSE of Gowensville. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Gowensville | - | Public reported nickel to quarter sized hail near Gowensville. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gowensville | - | Highway patrol and public reported multiple trees blown down near Oak Grove Rd and the Pacolet River. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Gowensville | - | Penny size hail was reported on highway 14 near highway 414. |
| September 2013 | Hail | Gowensville | - | Dime to nickel size hail was reported in the Gowensville community. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gowensville | - | A tree and several large limbs were blown down in the Gowensville community. |
| March 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Gowensville | - | Multiple tree limbs were blown down west of Gowensville. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Gowensville | - | Hail reported on Pink Campbell Rd. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Gowensville | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Gowensville | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyger (historical) | 2.4 miles | 15 | |
| Mitchell (historical) | 4.4 miles | 17 | |
| Glassy | 4.7 miles | 17 | |
| Pleasant Hill | 4.7 miles | 17 | |
| Jordan | 5.2 miles | 17 | |
| Lake Lanier | 5.2 miles | 16 | |
| Highland | 5.4 miles | 17 | |
| Skyland | 5.4 miles | 17 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikidata item Q122548619 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1251672. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
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.







