More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #122 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Andrews was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1920.
Founding year: the first Andrews post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Andrews’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Andrews is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #122 of 169 in South Carolina. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Andrews’ 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 Andrews’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Andrews’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The towns of Rosemary and Harpers Crossroads were settled along the Georgetown and Western Railroad, which started operation in 1886. In 1905, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad built a route through the town, along with a sizable maintenance shop. In 1909, voters agreed to incorporate the two separate towns into a single community, which was named Andrews, after Colonel Walter H. Andrews, who played an important role in the incorporation. Andrews worked for the Atlantic Coast Lumber Co. and served as mayor through most of the 1920s. In 1915, a town hall was built, which is now a museum. By 1919, Andrews had reached a population of 2,000 and continued to grow. During the 1920s, Andrews had the title of being the fastest growing town in the United States for its age. The two schools were the Andrews School and the Rosemary School. These were segregated, with the Andrews School being the whit…
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.
Between 1,712 and 3,129 people in every census since 1920.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Andrews’ Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and places now gone
Andrews’s post office has been open since 1909.
Hamlets and corners on the map
West Andrews
Gone or out of use
Andrews Colored SchoolschoolAndrews Public Schoolschool
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Andrews’ history
What year was Andrews founded?
The Andrews post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Andrews rank for history?
Andrews is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #122 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.
How old are the homes in Andrews?
8% of Andrews’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (11), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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