8 places in town are on the National Register, among them six historic districts with 113 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sullivan's Island is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sullivan's Island’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 Sullivan's Island’s 551 sits above most of its state (98% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 115 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.2 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Sullivan's Island’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Sullivan's Island was the point of entry for approximately 40 to 50 percent of the 400,000 enslaved Africans brought to Colonial America, . It has been likened to Ellis Island, the 19th-century reception point for immigrants in New York City.
During the American Revolution, the island was the site of a major battle at Fort Sullivan on June 28, 1776.
Captain Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion was a notable figure at the famous Battle of Sullivan Island when approximately 800 South Carolinians successfully repulsed a Royal Navy fleet consisting of several naval frigates and an estimated 2,500 British soldiers.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sullivan's Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Fort Moultrie sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sullivan's Island.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewMiss Carolina Sulivan - one of the obstinate daughters of America, 1776, 1776
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sullivan's Island’s page.
Sullivan's Island is more historic than 98% 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.
What is on the National Register in Sullivan's Island?
8 listings: 1 building, 6 historic districts with 113 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 115 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Sullivan's Island?
27% of Sullivan's Island’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.2 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 (9), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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.
1776
1776
1776
1845
1845
1860
1861–1865
c. 1861
c. 1861
1861–1865
1861
1861
