Most of New Ellenton was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Ellenton is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Ellenton’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 New Ellenton’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 D− to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 New Ellenton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
New Ellenton was formed from the citizens of Ellenton, a farming town chartered in 1880 and situated on the Charleston and Western Carolina Railway in Barnwell County near the Aiken County line. Upon the approval of President Truman in 1950 of the Savannah River Site for the production of hydrogen bombs, the U.S. government forced 6,000 people in the surrounding area to move. The residents of Ellenton literally moved their homes and buildings 14 miles (23 km) north to New Ellenton after being evicted in the 1950s.
Between 2,052 and 2,628 people in every census since 1960.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on New Ellenton’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about New Ellenton’s history
What year was New Ellenton founded?
The New Ellenton post office opened in 1960, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does New Ellenton rank for history?
New Ellenton is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. 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 New Ellenton?
5% of New Ellenton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 Wikipedia, 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.
