Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #7 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 109 buildings. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1850.
Marion dates its founding to 1795 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Marion is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #7 of 169 in South Carolina. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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 Marion’s 179 sits above most of its state (90% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 111 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
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.
1884Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
c. 1907Marion - Carnegie Library 2Postcard
c. 1909Marion - Court HousePostcard
c. 1910Untitled photoPostcard
c. 1910Marion - Carnegie LibraryPostcard
c. 1910Marion - Cotton MillPostcard
c. 1910Marion - Marion Graded SchoolPostcard
c. 1910Marion - Public ParkPostcard
c. 1910Marion - Wilcox AvenuePostcard
1912Marion - A.C.L. Passenger StationPostcard
1912Marion - Carmichael HotelPostcard
c. 1915Marion - Confederate MonumentPostcard
c. 1915Marion - Cotton Oil Mill 01PostcardFrom Wikipedia’s history of Marion.
The Marion High School, Marion County Court House, Marion County Library, Marion County Museum and Marion Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Marion, cut from the printed page as they were published.
resided near the county seat before the court house was erected ; as we are informed by tradition, Colonel Hugh Giles, a distinguished character during the Revolutionary War, lived just over Smith’s Swamp, south of the site of Marion Court House. It was for him that the village of Marion was first called Gilesboro, and was so called till away up into the thirties, and even after that by some of the older people. The town of Marion was not incorporated until long after. At the time of which
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
“ In the spring of 1781 Colonel Watson was sent with a select corps of five hundred men to attempt the destruction of Marion’s brigade. The advanced guards of Marion, under Colonel Horry, met the advance of the enemy, and the patriots were obliged to fall back in the direction of Williamsburg. ... For ten days the British force remained stationary, continually annoyed by Marion, until
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
and industrial enterprise. Much might be said in amplifying the contrast between our conditions educationally now and one hundred years ago, but space will not permit and the field is too large. In 1814, the Marion Academy Society, at Marion Court House, was given the power of escheators and also its perquisites up to $2,000. It seems it had been incorporated before, but the writer has not been able to find the Act of incorporation, and hence he cannot give the names of the corpora-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
resided near the county seat before the court house was erected ; as we are informed by tradition, Colonel Hugh Giles, a distinguished character during the Revolutionary War, lived just over Smith's Swamp, south of the site of Marion Court House. It was for him that the village of Marion was first called Gilesboro, and was so called till away up into the thirties, and even after that by some of the older people. The town of Marion was not incorporated until long after. At the time of which
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born hereNathan George Evans is born here
Born hereGwen Bristow is born hereIn the archiveMarion - Carnegie Library 2In the archiveUntitled photo
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereRaymond Felton is born hereEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Marion. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Marion.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Marion’s page.
Retake this view · +15Between 214 and 7,700 people in every census since 1850.
17 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Marion’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Marion’s post office has been open since 1808.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
In 1795, according to Wikidata. Marion’s post office opened in 1808, and the census of 1850 counted 214 people here.
Marion is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #7 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.
Two places: the Marion Historic District (listed 1973) and the Marion High School (2001).
18% of Marion’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1963.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (12), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
