On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Litchfield Beach is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #112 of 169 in South Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Litchfield Beach’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 Litchfield Beach’s 6.6 sits near the middle of its state (59% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1960.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 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 Litchfield Beach’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Waccamaw, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
AnnievilleChapel CreekGeorgievilleLitchfield by the SeaLitchfield RetreatNorth Litchfield BeachParkersvilleSalt Marsh CoveWoodville Acres
1cemetery inside Litchfield Beach
All Saints
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Litchfield Beach, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Litchfield Beach yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Litchfield Beach, also known simply as Litchfield, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 8,370. It lies three miles north of Pawleys Island, on the South Carolina Grand Strand. The communities Litchfield-By-The-Sea and North Litchfield are within Litchfield Beach. The community takes its name from Litchfield Plantation, a rice plantation founded early in the 18th century. It initially started in the 1950s as Retreat Beach. Modern development of the community began in the 1960s.
Litchfield Beach was established in 1960.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Litchfield Beach, 1884 to 1960
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Litchfield Beach. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1942Magnolia Beach sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Litchfield Beach.
On the National Register
3 historic places in Litchfield Beach
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1960, according to Wikidata. Litchfield Beach’s post office opened in 1884.
How does Litchfield Beach rank for history?
Litchfield Beach is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns, #112 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 Litchfield Beach?
Three places: the All Saints' Episcopal Church, Waccamaw (listed 1991), the Cedar Grove Plantation Chapel (1991) and the Holy Cross Faith Memorial School (2024).
How old are the homes in Litchfield Beach?
0.4% of Litchfield Beach’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1998.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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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