Camden dates to 1730, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #6 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and three historic districts with 167 buildings between them. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1792.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Camden’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Camden is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #6 of 169 in South Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Camden’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 Camden’s 213 sits above most of its state (93% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 176 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1730.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points).
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 Camden’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Camden is the oldest inland city and the fourth oldest city in South Carolina. It is near the center of the Cofitachequi chiefdom that existed in the 1500s. In 1730, Camden became part of a township plan ordered by King George II. Kershaw County's official website states, "Originally laid out in 1732 as the town of Fredericksburg in the Wateree River swamp (south of the present town) when King George II ordered eleven inland townships established along South Carolina's rivers, few of the area settlers chose to take lots surveyed in the town, choosing the higher ground to the north. The township soon disappeared." In 1758, Joseph Kershaw from Yorkshire, England, came into the township, established a store, and renamed the town "Pine Tree Hill". Camden became the main inland trade center in the colony. Kershaw suggested that the town be renamed Camden, in honor of Lord Camden, a champion …
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Camden. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1938Hagood 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 Camden.
Every building
Camden, building by building, 1884–1923
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.
In 1730, according to Wikidata. Camden’s post office opened in 1792, and the census of 1850 counted 1,133 people here.
How does Camden rank for history?
Camden is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #6 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 Camden?
7 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 4 buildings, among them the Mulberry Plantation (Chesnut House) (a National Historic Landmark since 2000), and 3 historic districts, the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Restoration, the City of Camden Historic District and the Kendall Mill Historic District, with 167 contributing buildings. 176 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Camden?
10% of Camden’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 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 (14), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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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c. 1902
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