Clover’s post office opened in 1874, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #63 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Clover was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 14 buildings. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1947 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Clover post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1887.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clover’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clover is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #63 of 169 in South Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clover’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 Clover’s 19.4 sits above most of its state (72% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 14 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1887 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 →
Clover was founded just north of an earlier settlement, New Centre, which had waned during the Civil War. The pivotal American Revolutionary War battle of Kings Mountain occurred approximately eight miles to the west of modern-day Clover, on October 7, 1780.
Prior to Clover's founding, Bethany and Bethel, communities to the west and east, respectively, were primary population centers in northern York District, with well-established Presbyterian churches, post offices and stores serving the area's numerous cotton farms.
The village of Clover began as a railway stop in 1876, midway between Yorkville, and modern-day Gastonia, North Carolina, when the first railroad tracks were laid through the northern section of the county.
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.
The Clover post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1887.
How does Clover rank for history?
Clover is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #63 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 Clover?
Two places: the Clover Downtown Historic District (listed 1999) and the Hampshire Mill (2026).
How old are the homes in Clover?
6% of Clover’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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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