Anderson dates to 1826, and 10 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #26 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Anderson was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. 10 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 293 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1826.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Anderson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Anderson is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #26 of 169 in South Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Anderson’s overall grade.
South Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Carolina town has 3.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Anderson’s 99.8 sits above most of its state (85% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 300 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1826.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Anderson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Carnegie LibrarybuildingCater ParkparkFant Street Graded SchoolschoolGirls High SchoolschoolJefferson Avenue Grade SchoolschoolNorth Fant Street SchoolschoolWest Market Street Graded Schoolschool
9cemeteries and burying grounds inside Anderson
Anderson First PresbyterianBethel MethodistByrum - LeBoon FamilyConcord Baptist ChurchLaBoon FamilyNew Silver BrookOrr MillSilver BrookWestview
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Anderson, building by building, 1884–1918
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1884Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Cherokee first settled the area of what is today the city of Anderson. During the American Revolution, the Cherokee sided with the British. After the American Revolutionary War, the Cherokee's land was acquired as war reparations and colonized. In 1791, the South Carolina Legislature created the Washington District, which comprised Greenville, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens Counties. The Washington District was then divided into Greenville and Pendleton districts. Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee comprised the newly created Pendleton district. Anderson was settled in 1826 and incorporated in 1828 as Anderson Court House, separate from the Pendleton district. The name Anderson is in honor of Robert Anderson, who fought in the American Revolutionary War and also explored the Anderson region in the mid-18th century. Anderson District (later Anderson County after 1867) was also established in 1…
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1826, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Anderson’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1860 counted 625 people here.
How does Anderson rank for history?
Anderson is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #26 of 169 in South Carolina. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Anderson?
10 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Caldwell-Johnson-Morris Cottage (listed 1971, the first), and 4 historic districts with 293 contributing buildings. 300 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Anderson?
8% of Anderson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1975.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (10), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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