Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ridgeway

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Ridgeway

Ridgeway’s post office opened in 1851, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 31 buildings. Below: maps from 1942 on and the census since 1890.

1851first post office
5on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Ridgeway began

When was Ridgeway founded?

1851

The Ridgeway post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 249 in 18902020 census: 266175 years
Founding year: the first Ridgeway post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ridgeway’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 Ridgeway are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Ridgeway Historic District takes in 31 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 437 in 1970; 266 people lived here in 2020.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ridgeway’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

5 listings protect 35 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
35
each building in a district counts
first listed
1971
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
St. Stephen's Episcopal ChurchCentury HouseMonroe Wilson HouseRidgeway Historic DistrictRuff's Chapel
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival2
Gothic Revival1
Late Victorian1
Colonial Revival1
Classical Revival1
Queen Anne1
St. Stephen's Episcopal ChurchGothic Revival
Century HouseGreek Revival
Monroe Wilson HouseLate Victorian
Ridgeway Historic DistrictColonial Revival
Ruff's ChapelBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Ridgeway, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 437

Peaked at 437 in 1970; 266 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Ridgeway came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ridgeway.

Read it all →

Blink Bonnie, Camp Welfare, Century House, Hunter House, Mount Hope, Ridgeway Historic District, Ruff's Chapel, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Valencia, Vaughn's Stage Coach Stop, and the Monroe Wilson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ridgeway, 1851 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1851Post officeThe Ridgeway post office opens
  3. 1888Born hereHarry K. Pickett is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1935Born hereMamie Johnson is born here
  6. 1942On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1944Born hereLee M. Thomas is born here
  8. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 437
By decade

Ridgeway, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Ridgeway, SC2023Ridgeway, SCRidgeway mine2018Ridgeway mineSCMap-doton-Ridgeway2004SCMap-doton-RidgewayFEMA - 11920 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 09-27-2004 in South Carolina2004FEMA - 11920 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 0…FEMA - 11919 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 09-27-2004 in South Carolina2004FEMA - 11919 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 0…FEMA - 11914 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 09-27-2004 in South Carolina2004FEMA - 11914 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 0…FEMA - 11913 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 09-27-2004 in South Carolina2004FEMA - 11913 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 0…
On the map

Ridgeway on the map, 1942 to 1986

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

Ridgeway on the 1942 USGS mapRidgeway on the 1971 USGS mapRidgeway on the 1986 USGS map1942Camden sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ridgeway.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Ridgeway

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Lee M. ThomasAdministrator, United States Environmental Prot… · b. 1944
M
Mamie JohnsonAmerican baseball player · b. 1935
Harry K. PickettUnited States Marine Corps general · b. 1888

Questions about Ridgeway’s history

What year was Ridgeway founded?

The Ridgeway post office opened in 1851, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Ridgeway?

5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (listed 1971, the first), and 1 historic district, the Ridgeway Historic District, with 31 contributing buildings. 35 historic buildings in all.

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 Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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) 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.