On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Aynor is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Aynor’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 Aynor’s 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 (±3.7 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Aynor’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Aynor was settled as the Eyknor's Farm in the mid-19th century under Jacob Eyknor. After a railway terminus was added along the railroad from Conway, the town was incorporated in 1913. It elected a mayor and town wardens (now town council members). Gabriel Edwards (1849–1938) was elected the first mayor in 1913 and again in 1923 for a non-consecutive second term. The town developed as a center for production of turpentine, tobacco, and cotton as commodity crops.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Aynor’s history
What year was Aynor founded?
The Aynor post office opened in 1920, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Aynor rank for history?
Aynor is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. 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 Aynor?
6% of Aynor’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1999.
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 Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
