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South Williamson Kentucky aerial viewPhoto: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain
–Not graded
History · South Williamson

Half of South Williamson’s homes were built after 1981

Most of South Williamson was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1915 on.

0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From South Williamson’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about South Williamson’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19154 editions of the USGS map, 1915 to 1992. Watch South Williamson change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Williamson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Williamson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSouth Williamson Kentucky aerial view: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

South Williamson on the map, 1915 to 1992

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South Williamson. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

South Williamson on the 1915 USGS mapSouth Williamson on the 1954 USGS mapSouth Williamson on the 1978 USGS mapSouth Williamson on the 1992 USGS map1915Williamson sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of South Williamson.

The story

How South Williamson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of South Williamson.

Read it all →

In the late 19th century, Pike County and bordering Mingo County, West Virginia provided the setting for the Hatfield-McCoy feud, a bitter feud waged between two feuding families between 1878 and 1891 that has become American history.

ChaptersFlooding

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

South Williamson, 1915 to 1999

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1936Post officeThe Turkey Creek post office opens
  4. 1999In the archiveSouth Williamson Kentucky aerial view
By decade

South Williamson, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
South Williamson Kentucky aerial view1999South Williamson Kentucky aerial view
Famous people

Famous people close to South Williamson

Nobody well known was born in South Williamson itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Joanne DruAmerican film and television actress · b. 1922
Dwight YoakamAmerican country singer-songwriter, actor, and … · b. 1956
L
Lea Ann ParsleySkeleton racer · b. 1968
P
Patty LovelessAmerican country music singer · b. 1957
Mark ReynoldsAmerican baseball player · b. 1983
M
Michael AmmarMagician · b. 1956
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
New CampTurkey Creek
Gone or out of use
Happy Valley CamplocaleTurkey Creek Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about South Williamson’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.