Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
“Union County Jail is a historic jail building located at Union, Union County, South Carolina. It is attributed to Robert Mills and built in 1823.”
Wikipedia article Union County Jail (Union, South Carolina), CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 33 National Register listings published here for Union County · listed in 1974 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 228 fires within 5 miles of Union County Jail between 1992 and 2020, burning about 465 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 7 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 | 119 |
| Debris and open burning | 56 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 18 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 7 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Other causes | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Fireworks | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 25 September 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 September 1997 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 3.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 19 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 14 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 14 September 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
| 10 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | South Carolina Forestry Commission | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Union, the town this property stands in, in 99 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 63 thunderstorm wind, 28 hail, 4 lightning, 2 tornado. The reports record 1 death and 1 injury. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2013 | Lightning | Union | 1 killed | A 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. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | 1 hurt, $14,000 | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Union | $250,000 | Spotters reported up to golf ball size hail that broke car windshields in the Union area. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Union | $250,000 | County 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 2004 | Flash Flood | Union | $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Union | $50,000 | This 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. |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | $50,000 | Two 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 2009 | Lightning | Union | $45,000 | Lightning ignited a fire at a home on Catherine St, causing significant damage. |
| April 1998 | Lightning | Union | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | $20,000 | no account filed |
| November 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | $15,000 | Numerous trees were blown down. One fell on a house. |
| July 1997 | Lightning | Union | $10,000 | no account filed |
| October 2015 | Heavy Rain | Union | $5,000 | Newspaper 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. |
| April 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | $3,000 | Tree fell on a car and a portable, elctronic sign was blown across a parking lot. Also, marble hail covered the ground. |
| September 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | $1,000 | Emergency 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. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | $1,000 | Trees and powerlines were blown down along West Springs Highway. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Union | - | NWS employee reported 3/4 inch hail. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | County comms reported several trees and power lines blown down along Lakeside Dr. |
| December 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | County comms reported a few trees and power lines blown down across roads, mainly to east And northeast of the city of Union. |
| March 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | County comms reported several trees blow down around the city of Union. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Union | - | County comms reported 3/4 inch hail in the city of Union. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | County comms reported trees and power lines blown down on Rice Ave. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | County comms reported multiple trees blown down across the eastern part of Union County. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | County comms reported multiple trees and power lines blown down in the city of Union. Two of the trees fell on residences. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Union | - | County comms reported up to 3/4 inch diameter hail. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | County comms reported numerous trees blown down along with at least one power pole snapped along Peach Orchard Road and Webber Lake Road. |
| April 2015 | Hail | Union | - | Multiple public reports of quarter size hail were received from the Union area. |
| April 2015 | Hail | Union | - | Public reported a second severe thunderstorm produced another round of large hail in the Union area. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | A tree was blown down on Sims Ave on the east side of town, and another on Beltline Rd about 4 miles east of town. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | A tree was blown down on Lakeside Dr. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Numerous trees were blown down in the city of Union, with trees on homes on E Main St and Douglass Heights. Several other trees blocked roads. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Power lines and power poles were blown down on N Church St with trees blown down on Park Dr. |
| March 2010 | Hail | Union | - | Hail, up to the size of quarters, covered the ground at the Jonesville Fire Department. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Several trees were blown down throughout the city. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Trees were blown down from Thompson Bvd down to highway 176 south near Whitmire. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | A few trees were blown down on Happy Valley Rd. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Trees were blown down on Meansville Rd. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Several trees were blown down in the West Springs community. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Several trees blown down. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Trees and a power line blown down on Old Buncombe Rd. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Numerous trees blown down along highway 176 south of Union. |
| April 2007 | Hail | Union | - | One inch diameter hail measured in the Santuck community. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | A tree down on Whitmire Highway, and another down on Brookside Dr. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Trees blown down on Kelly Rd and the corner of Industrial Park and highway 49. Power lines down on a house on Old Buffalo Rd, and other power lines down on Browns Creek Rd and Peach Orchard Rd. |
| September 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Three to four inch diameter tree limbs down. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | A tree and numerous limbs down along highway 49 about a mile from the Spartanburg line. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Quite a few trees down in locations in and around Union. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | A few trees were blown down on Sonoco Rd. In addition, scattered tree damage occurred at various locations throughout the county. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Numerous trees were blown down. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | A couple of trees were blown down. |
| February 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Two trees were blown down. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Some trees were blown down. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Several trees were blown down. |
| December 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | 2 trees were blown down along Hwy 49 near Tyger River. Another tree was blocking US 276. |
| December 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | 2 trees were blow down. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Emergency management reported trees down. There were scattered power outages. The newspaper reported that the storms hit at separate times, with a short interval. |
| May 2001 | Hail | Union | - | Just north of the border with Newberry County, general public reported hail hitting windows so hard they thought the windows would break. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Trees and power lines blown down. Hail the size of quarters was also observed. Two of the downed trees fell on homes. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Union | - | Outflow from a severe thunderstorm, centered just across the border in northeast Laurens County near Whitmire, caused some telephone poles to be snapped. Also, railroad-crossing arms were bent, and damage was reported at a lumber yard. |
3 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 3,036 issues, 15,689 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.
| Newspaper | Published |
|---|---|
| The Union Daily Times | 1918 to Current |
| The Union Times | 1894 to 1918 |
| The Union Times | 1917 to 1918 |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Clinton Chapel AME Zion Church | under 500 feet | 2020 |
 | Union Community Hospital | 0.1 miles | 1996 |
 | Union Downtown Historic District (Boundary Increase) | 0.1 miles | 2003 |
 | Corinth Baptist Church | 0.1 miles | 1989 |
 | Union Downtown Historic District | 0.2 miles | 1989 |
 | South Street-South Church Street Historic District | 0.3 miles | 1983 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 74001884 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Union County | All 33 listed properties in this county. |
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