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History · Furman

Furman’s post office opened in 1901

Most of Furman was built recently: 0.9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1919 on and the census since 1920.

1901first post office
0on the National Register
0.9%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Furman began

When was Furman founded?

1901

The Furman post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Goethe (1885), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 296 in 19202020 census: 224125 years
Founding year: the first Furman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Furman’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Furman are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 380 in 1940; 224 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19193 editions of the USGS map, 1919 to 1988. Watch Furman change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Furman’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Furman’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Furman, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 380

Peaked at 380 in 1940; 224 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Furman’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Furman on the map, 1919 to 1988

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Furman. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Furman on the 1919 USGS mapFurman on the 1943 USGS mapFurman on the 1988 USGS map1919Pineland 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 Furman.

The story so far

Furman, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Furman yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Furman is a town in Hampton County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 224 at the 2020 census, down from 239 at the 2010 census. It is not to be confused with Furman University, which is in Greenville, South Carolina.

Its first post office opened in 1901. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 239 to 224 (-6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Furman, 1885 to 1940

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885Post officeThe Goethe post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1901Post officeThe Furman post office opens
  5. 1907Post officeThe Goethe post office closes
  6. 1919On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 380
By decade

Furman, decade by decade

Today1 recent
The Florentine Bell Tower, a carillon that is a landmark on the campus of Furman University2017The Florentine Bell Tower, a carillon that is a landm…
Famous people

Famous people close to Furman

Nobody well known was born in Furman itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
E
Eric BucknerAmerican basketball player · b. 1990
Thomas S. McMillanBaseball player and coach, lawyer, politician · b. 1888
Clara G. McMillanAmerican politician · b. 1894
Faxon M. DeanCinematographer · b. 1890
George Elliott HaganAmerican politician · b. 1916
R
Roy CAmerican singer, songwriter · b. 1939
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Furman’s post office has been open since 1901. Another post office, Goethe, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Goethe
1885–1907
Furman
1901–today
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Furman’s history

What year was Furman founded?

The Furman post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From the Library of Congress (1), 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.