State hub · South Carolina

Ghost towns in South Carolina

South Carolina's ghost towns are not mining camps. Most began as river towns. Dorchester, Childsbury and Purrysburg were laid out between 1696 and 1732 on the Ashley, the Cooper and the Savannah, and each faded as plantations and other towns took their trade. Hamburg, founded in 1821 across the Savannah from Augusta, and Andersonville, created in 1801 at the head of the river, were busy inland ports. Floods and the railroad emptied Andersonville, and floods in 1929 ended Hamburg.

In the 20th century the federal government and the reservoirs took whole towns. In the early 1950s the Atomic Energy Commission took Ellenton, Dunbarton and Meyers Mill for the Savannah River Plant, now the Savannah River Site, a Department of Energy complex of 310 square miles in Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale counties. About 6,000 people had to move. Lake Marion covered the cypress mill town of Ferguson in 1941, and Lake Hartwell had covered Andersonville by 1962.

What survives is small: a tabby fort, a bell tower and a chapel, street curbs in the woods, a kiln on an island and a row of historical markers. Colonial Dorchester, a state historic site, is the one you can walk on any day.

19Sites indexed

14Counties

17Mapped

5Town guides

County

Other sitesCity

Select a dot to see the site. 17 of 19 sites have reliable coordinates so far.

Town guides

5 full South Carolina town guides

Our complete guides, most-read first: history, what's left, current access, photos, maps and directions.

Three stone bridge piers standing in the Savannah River below a wooded South Carolina bank, with a highway bridge at right

Hamburg

33.48, -81.96

Aiken County

A cotton port and railroad terminus founded in 1821 across the Savannah River from Augusta. After the Civil War it was a town of freedmen, and in…

Gone · markers onlyRiver and lake

Ellenton

33.22, -81.73

Aiken County

A railroad and farming town of about 760 people, emptied in the early 1950s to build the Savannah River Plant. Its streets and curbs lie in the woods…

Closed · DOE tours onlyRailroad and road

Andersonville

34.45, -82.86

Anderson County

A river port founded in 1801 where the Tugaloo and Seneca meet to form the Savannah. Floods and the railroad emptied it in the 1800s, and Lake…

Under the lake · May 2026 reportRiver and lake

A roofless concrete kiln and a row of concrete piers on the edge of a wooded island, seen across choppy brown lake water

Ferguson

33.44, -80.28

Orangeburg County

A company town built in the 1880s to cut the cypress swamps of the Santee. The mill closed in 1915, and in 1941 Lake Marion covered the site. A…

Island ruins · 2020 photoMill, lumber and company

The ruined brick bell tower of St. George's Church standing alone in an open wood

Dorchester

32.95, -80.17

Dorchester County

A trading town founded in the 1690s by settlers from Massachusetts on the Ashley River. It was a military post in the Revolution; accounts date its…

Open dailyRiver and lake

Where to start

South Carolina's best-known ghost towns

Open attractions, living towns and true ruins, with their current status.

Dorchester

32.95, -80.17

Dorchester County

Trading town on the Ashley River founded in the 1690s by settlers from Massachusetts; accounts date its abandonment from 1751 to just after the Revolution. The tabby fort, St. George's bell tower and the churchyard stand in Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, open daily; admission was $3 for adults on the park's pages read October 24, 2026.

Open daily · Oct 2026

Hamburg

33.48, -81.96

Aiken County

Cotton port and railroad terminus founded in 1821 across the river from Augusta, scene of the 1876 Hamburg Massacre, ended by floods in 1929. North Augusta covers the site; historical markers stand beside public streets on Barton Road and at RiverNorth Drive, per a visitor's photos of December 31, 2023.

Gone · markers · Dec 2023 report

Purrysburg

32.30, -81.12

Jasper County

Township granted in 1731 to Jean Pierre Purry for Swiss Protestant settlers and laid out in 1732 on a Savannah River bluff; many settlers soon left. Markers stand at 55 Millstone Landing Road, Hardeeville, photographed May 23, 2026. A 1940s stone cross half a mile north marks the townsite; we found no word on access to it.

Markers only · May 2026 report

A rusted wrought-iron fence in front of Strawberry Chapel's churchyard, with a brick tomb, moss-hung oaks and the white chapel behind, 2015

Strawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site

33.09, -79.94

Berkeley County

Ferry town laid out by James Child in 1707 on the western branch of the Cooper River; it faded as rice plantations grew. Strawberry Chapel, first used in 1725 and rebuilt in brick in 1739, is all that shows. An October 6, 2025 newspaper column says its vestry owns it and opens it only for four services a year. The state's trails site lists the Childsbury Towne Heritage Preserve beside it, with a short trail to a river overlook, open dawn to dusk (an undated listing).

Chapel private · Oct 2025 report

Ferguson

33.44, -80.28

Orangeburg County

Company town built in the 1880s to cut the Santee cypress swamps. The mill closed in 1915 and Lake Marion covered the site in 1941. A concrete kiln and brick ruins stand on Ferguson Island, reached only by boat; a photo of May 2, 2020 shows the kiln standing.

Island ruins · May 2020 photo

Andersonville

34.45, -82.86

Anderson County

River port created in 1801 where the Tugaloo and Seneca form the Savannah, emptied by floods and the railroad and covered by Lake Hartwell by 1962. Only Andersonville Island shows, reached by boat; a wildfire burned about 65 acres of it on May 4, 2026.

Under the lake · May 2026 report

Ellenton

33.22, -81.73

Aiken County

Railroad and farm town of about 760 people, cleared in the early 1950s for the Savannah River Plant. Its streets and foundations lie inside the closed Savannah River Site, seen only on SRS tours. The last 2026 Ellenton tour, on October 29, was full with registration closed when we checked on October 24, 2026, and no 2027 dates were posted.

Closed · DOE tours only · Oct 2026

Dunbarton

33.20, -81.54

Barnwell County

Railroad, sawmill and cotton-gin town incorporated in 1910, with about 300 people when the government acquired it in 1951 for the Savannah River Plant. Streets and curbs remain inside the closed site. SRS scheduled three historic tours to the townsite for March 2026, per its tour page updated October 12, 2026.

Closed · DOE tours only · Oct 2026

Near a city

Ghost towns near Columbia, Charleston and Augusta

Driving distance and time from downtown, routed over OpenStreetMap roads. Dirt roads are usually slower than the estimate.

Near Columbia drive

Bookman16 mi35 min
Alston32 mi49 min
Corinth38 mi58 min
Fudges57 mi1 h 13 min
Hamburg70 mi1 h 25 min
Ferguson78 mi1 h 45 min
Ellenton81 mi1 h 48 min

Near Charleston drive

Dorchester21 mi36 min
Strawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site45 mi1 h 10 min
Ferguson64 mi1 h 33 min
Purrysburg93 mi2 h 06 min

Near Augusta drive

Hamburg4 mi10 min
Ellenton27 mi41 min
Celestia44 mi1 h 22 min
Bethel57 mi1 h 29 min
Corinth55 mi1 h 29 min

All 19 South Carolina sites

Every town, camp and settlement in our South Carolina index, with its county. A ◦ marks sites already on the map.

19 sites

A

AlstonFairfield ◦
AndersonvilleAnderson ◦

B

BethelAbbeville ◦
BookmanRichland ◦

C

CelestiaSaluda ◦
ClementiaCharleston ◦
CorinthSaluda ◦

D

DorchesterDorchester ◦
DunbartonBarnwell ◦

E

EllentonAiken ◦

F

FergusonOrangeburg ◦
FudgesChester ◦

H

HamburgAiken ◦
Hillsville

M

Meyers MillBarnwell ◦

Plan a trip

Visiting South Carolina's ghost towns

Check the lake levels

Two featured towns are under reservoirs, and how much shows depends on the water. Santee Cooper's target level for Lake Marion runs from just above 72 feet in winter to 75.5 feet in summer; on August 13, 2026 it said Lake Marion had fallen below its normal range and put stage one of its drought plan in effect from August 3. On Lake Hartwell, the Corps of Engineers said, per a FOX Carolina report of August 26, 2026, that the lake was below 656 feet in a drought, and that while a seeping dike at Clemson awaits repair it will hold the lake to a 656-foot target and a 662-foot maximum. Ferguson Island and Andersonville Island are reached only by boat. Paddlers on Lake Marion reported broken-off trees just under the surface in 2016 and whitecaps in 2019, so check the day's level and forecast before you launch.

The Savannah River Site is closed

Ellenton, Dunbarton and Meyers Mill are inside a Department of Energy site closed to the public. The only way in is a free SRS tour: US citizens 18 and over, a Social Security number at registration and two IDs at the badge office, no phones or cameras, and photography prohibited. Registration closes a week before each tour. The 2026 schedule, on a page updated October 12, 2026, had Dunbarton tours in March and Ellenton tours in March and October. The last, on October 29, was full with registration closed, and no 2027 dates were posted, when we checked on October 24, 2026. The free SRS Museum in downtown Aiken is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Plan around park hours and services

Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site near Summerville is open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year, and closed on Christmas Day. Admission is $3 for adults, $1.50 for South Carolina seniors and $1 for children 6 to 15; children 5 and under are free (park pages, read October 24, 2026). Strawberry Chapel is private and opens only for its services; the heritage preserve beside it is listed as open dawn to dusk, with no fee. Hamburg's markers stand beside public streets in North Augusta.

Leave artifacts where they lie

South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources does not allow metal detecting on any of its property, and its heritage preserve rules forbid gathering artifacts. Colonial Dorchester bans metal detectors. In rivers and other state waters, collecting needs a state hobby license, and the license never covers anything above the waterline: even in a drought, no one may dig in the banks and beds. On Corps of Engineers land at Lake Hartwell, removing archaeological features is prohibited without the District Commander's written permission, and the federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act covers federal land such as the Savannah River Site.

FAQ

Common questions

How many ghost towns are in South Carolina?

We found no official count. Wikipedia's list, which calls itself incomplete, named 19 places in its June 3, 2025 version. Our index lists 19 sites in South Carolina, 17 of them with coordinates. Several are towns removed for the Savannah River Site or covered by lakes.

What is the best ghost town to visit in South Carolina?

Colonial Dorchester, near Summerville, is the easiest: a state historic site open every day, with a tabby fort, the bell tower of St. George's church and a churchyard. Admission was $3 for adults in October 2026. Hamburg's markers in North Augusta can be read from the street at any time.

Can you visit Ellenton or Dunbarton?

Only on a Savannah River Site tour. Both townsites are inside the closed Department of Energy site. In 2026 SRS scheduled three historic tours to Dunbarton in March, an Ellenton walking tour in March and Ellenton tours on October 6, 8, 13 and 29. The last was full, with registration closed, and no 2027 dates were posted when we checked on October 24, 2026. SC 125 crosses the site, but stopping on it is allowed only in an emergency.

Are there ghost towns under lakes in South Carolina?

Yes. Ferguson, a cypress mill town on the Santee, has been under Lake Marion since 1941; its kiln still stands on Ferguson Island. Andersonville, at the head of the Savannah River, was covered by Lake Hartwell by 1962, and only Andersonville Island shows. Both are reached by boat.

Which ghost towns are closest to Charleston?

Colonial Dorchester is the closest, about 21 miles and 36 minutes from downtown by road, and open daily. Strawberry Chapel, all that shows of Childsbury, is about 45 miles and 70 minutes away, but the chapel is private and opens only for its services; the heritage preserve beside it has a short trail to a river overlook. Ferguson is about an hour and a half to the Lake Marion shore, then a boat to the island.

Sources

Coordinates: Wikipedia articles for each site (GNIS), accepted only where the article is the site's own and the point falls inside the state; Ellenton's from its guide.
Wikipedia, "List of ghost towns in South Carolina", version of June 3, 2025, read October 24, 2026: an incomplete list of 19 places.
Our guides to Andersonville, Colonial Dorchester, Ellenton, Ferguson and Hamburg, checked October 24, 2026, and the sources listed on each: histories, current status and the dated reports quoted on the cards.
Savannah River Site, "Visitors & Tours", page updated October 12, 2026, read October 24, 2026: 310 square miles in Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale counties, DOE ownership, the 2026 tour dates (Dunbarton historic tours March 17, 19 and 24; Ellenton historic tours October 6, 8 and 13; Ellenton walking tours March 31 and October 29), no 2027 dates, eligibility, Social Security number and ID rules, registration closing a week ahead, no phones or photography, the SRS Museum's hours. SRS, "SRS Public Tour 21 - Historic - Ellenton Walking Tour", registration page for October 29, 2026, read October 24, 2026: the tour full and registration closed.
SRS, "SRS Tours and Protocol Office Announces Public Tours for 2026", December 12, 2025: historic tours of Dunbarton and Ellenton on the displacement of residents.
Wikipedia, "Dunbarton, South Carolina", revision of October 16, 2026: the 1899 railroad, 1910 incorporation, sawmill and gins, about 300 people in the early 1950s, the 1950 announcement and 1951 acquisition, about 6,000 people to be moved, the streets and curbs left, coordinates.
Wikipedia, "Meyers Mill, South Carolina", read October 24, 2026: acquired in 1951 for the Savannah River Plant.
HMDB, "Purrysburg Township", photographed May 23, 2026: the 1731 grant to Jean Pierre Purry, the town laid out in 1732, settlers leaving, the marker at 55 Millstone Landing Road, the 1940s Huguenot Society cross half a mile north. Wikipedia, "Purrysburg, South Carolina", revision of September 1, 2026: Swiss settlers from Neuchâtel and Geneva, about 100 houses by 1736, coordinates.
The Post and Courier, "The history of Strawberry Chapel ahead of its tricentennial anniversary", October 6, 2025: first chapel 1725, brick chapel 1739, Childsbury absorbed into Strawberry Plantation, the chapel the only visible reminder, owned by the vestry and open only for four annual services. Wikipedia, "Strawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site", revision of September 5, 2026: James Child, 1707, the ferry, coordinates. SC Trails, "Childsbury Towne Heritage Preserve", undated listing read October 24, 2026: the 0.1-mile trail to an overlook of the upper Cooper River, dawn to dusk, no fee, the chapel private.
Santee Cooper, "Santee Cooper Implements Drought Contingency Plan Due to Falling Lake Levels", August 13, 2026: Lake Marion below its normal operating range, stage one from August 3, 2026. Santee Cooper, "Lake Data", read October 24, 2026: the rule curve from just above 72.0 feet in winter to 75.5 feet in summer.
FOX Carolina, "Water level restrictions announced for Lake Hartwell over dike flood risks", August 26, 2026: Lake Hartwell below 656 feet in a drought, the 656-foot target and 662-foot maximum while the Clemson saddle dike awaits repair.
Random Connections, "Return to Ferguson", July 18, 2019, and Paddling.com, "Lake Marion in South Carolina", September 21, 2016: wind and whitecaps, broken-off trees just below the surface.
South Carolina State Parks, Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, read October 24, 2026: hours, Christmas closing, admission, no metal detectors.
SCDNR Heritage Trust, "Laws", read October 24, 2026: no metal detecting on SCDNR property, no gathering of artifacts on cultural heritage preserves, the Archaeological Resources Protection Act.
SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, "Hobby License FAQ", read October 24, 2026: a license needed to collect in state waters, none above the waterline, no digging in banks and beds even in drought.
36 CFR 327.14, Corps of Engineers water resources projects: removal of historical and archaeological features prohibited without the District Commander's written permission.
Wikipedia, "South Carolina Highway 125", revision of May 18, 2025: the public highway through SRS, no stopping except in emergencies.
Site index: ghosttowns.com South Carolina lists and Wikipedia, October 2026. County outlines: US Census via us-atlas (public domain).

Photo credits

Hamburg: Hughespj, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Ellenton: P.J. Perea, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, for Savannah River Site, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Ferguson: Evanoco, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Dorchester: Bplusdminus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Strawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site: Itsbrandoyo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Dunbarton: Savannah River Site, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0