More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #101 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Duncan was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1938 on and the census since 1900.
The Duncan post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Vernonsville (1854), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 149 in 19002020 census: 4,041145 years
How historic is Duncan?
C−
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Duncan post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Duncan’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Duncan is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #101 of 169 in South Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Duncan’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 Duncan’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 C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.4 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 Duncan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1811, a post office was established on what is now S.C. Highway 290. A tiny settlement formed around it, and both the post office and community were named New Hope. In 1854, the town changed its name to Vernonville or Vernonsville in honor of local physician J.J. Vernon.
In the mid-1850s, plans were under way to put a railroad line through Duncan, but the impending Civil War disrupted them. It was not until 1873 that the Atlanta and Richmond Railroad laid a line through the town.
The Duncan post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Duncan rank for history?
Duncan is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #101 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 Duncan?
6% of Duncan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.4 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 (4), 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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