Bluffton dates to 1728, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #41 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Bluffton was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2012. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 46 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1945 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1839.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bluffton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bluffton is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #41 of 169 in South Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bluffton’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 Bluffton’s 14.8 sits above most of its state (68% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 49 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1728.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
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 Bluffton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
During the 17th and the 18th centuries, the area comprising southern Beaufort County was known as Granville County of St. Luke's Parish. The Yamasee people were invited to settle in the area by Lord Cardoss, leader of the nearby Scottish settlement in Beaufort. The Yamasee established ten towns with over 1,200 inhabitants in the area. In 1715, the Yamasee War broke out, and after several years of fighting, the Yamasee migrated to Florida, opening the "Indian Lands" to European settlement. In 1718, the Lords Proprietors carved the area into several new baronies, including the Devil's Elbow Barony that contained the future town of Bluffton. The first titled owner of the land was the Barbadian planter Sir John Colleton. Following the departure of the Yamasee people, colonists began building plantations in the Bluffton area in 1728. The Colletons prospered by growing cotton, corn and indigo.
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 1728, according to Wikidata. Bluffton’s post office opened in 1839, and the census of 1880 counted 170 people here.
How does Bluffton rank for history?
Bluffton is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #41 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 Bluffton?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Church of the Cross (listed 1975, the first), and 1 historic district, the Bluffton Historic District, with 46 contributing buildings. 49 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Bluffton?
0.9% of Bluffton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 2012.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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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