Mullins dates to 1872, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 54% of U.S. towns · #58 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Mullins was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 38 buildings. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1903 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mullins’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mullins is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #58 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 Mullins’ 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 Mullins’ 112 sits above most of its state (85% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 44 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points). Two sources give 1872.
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 Mullins’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Mullins, census by census
Peaked at 6,229 in 1960; 4,026 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Mullins’ Wikipedia page.
Every building
Mullins, building by building, 1903–1924
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.
On March 4, 1872, the charter was approved for the town of Mullins. The same year the Macedonia Methodist church was established, the first church within city limits. By 1878, the city of Mullins had a population of 75 people, a total of 12 families. There were only three stores and four unpaved streets: Railroad, Main, Smith, and Gapway Streets. Gapway Road was designed from 76 Hwy in 1933.
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.
In 1872, according to Wikidata. Mullins’ post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1890 counted 242 people here.
How does Mullins rank for history?
Mullins is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #58 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 Mullins?
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Rasor and Clardy Company Building (listed 1982, the first), and 1 historic district, the Mullins Commercial Historic District, with 38 contributing buildings. 44 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Mullins?
6% of Mullins’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1933
1933
1933
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2018
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