Walterboro dates to 1783, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #19 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it
Most of Walterboro was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 6 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 192 buildings between them. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1820.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Walterboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Walterboro is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #19 of 169 in South Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Walterboro’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 Walterboro’s 363 sits above most of its state (97% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 199 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1783.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.7 points).
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 Walterboro’s 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.
Every building
Walterboro, building by building, 1898–1920
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.
1898Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the map
Walterboro on the map, 1918 to 1988
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Walterboro. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1918Walterboro sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Walterboro.
Walterboro (original spelling: Walterborough) was founded in 1783, as a summer retreat for local planters looking to escape their malaria-ridden, Lowcountry plantations. The original settlement was located on a hilly area, covered with pine and hickory trees and called Hickory Valley. Two of the earliest settlers were brothers, Paul and Jacob Walter. The brothers were prosperous, plantation owners, in nearby Jacksonboro. Paul's small daughter Mary, was taken ill with malaria; a common disease among the families who had plantations in the marshy areas of the Lowcountry, due to the ground's suitability for rice production. To prevent Mary from succumbing to the deadly disease, the Walter brothers went looking for a healthier location in which to live during the summer months, and came to settle the town; with its later being named in their honor.
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 1783, according to Wikidata. Walterboro’s post office opened in 1820, and the census of 1870 counted 636 people here.
How does Walterboro rank for history?
Walterboro is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #19 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 Walterboro?
6 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Colleton County Courthouse (listed 1971, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Walterboro Historic District and the Hickory Valley Historic District, with 192 contributing buildings. 199 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Walterboro?
9% of Walterboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.
c. 1935
c. 1935
1938
1938
1938
1939
1939
c. 1940
c. 1940