Simpsonville’s post office opened in 1885, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #82 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Simpsonville was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1999. Its Register listings are the Simpsonville Baptist Church, the Burdette Building and the Lawrence L. Richardson House. Its Register listings are the Simpsonville Baptist Church, the Burdette Building and the Lawrence L. Richardson House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1957 on, and the census since 1900.
From Simpsonville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Simpsonville began
When was Simpsonville founded?
1885
The Simpsonville post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Plain (1838), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 195 in 19002020 census: 23,354141 years
How historic is Simpsonville?
C
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Simpsonville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Simpsonville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Simpsonville is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #82 of 169 in South Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Simpsonville’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 Simpsonville’s 1.1 sits near the middle of its state (48% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Simpsonville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Simpsonville was incorporated on August 13, 1901. The city is named after Peter Simpson, a farmer from Laurens County who provided blacksmithing services and became the local postmaster.
The Burdette Building, Cureton-Huff House, Hopkins Farm, and Simpsonville Baptist Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The oldest brick building in the city is a former pharmacy built in 1886 at 101 East Curtis Street.
Established in 1901, The Woodside Mill, a textile mill, became Simpsonville's largest employer. The Woodside Mill includes an antique water tower.
The Simpsonville Clock Tower was built in 1987 and is the city's main landmark.
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.
The Simpsonville post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Simpsonville rank for history?
Simpsonville is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #82 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 Simpsonville?
Three places: the Simpsonville Baptist Church (listed 1992), the Burdette Building (2003) and the Lawrence L. Richardson House (2022).
How old are the homes in Simpsonville?
1% of Simpsonville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1999.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
2008
2005
2004
