We’ve featured abandoned places here before, like the Bon Haven mansion in Spartanburg and the infamous abandoned asylum in Columbia, but never before have we featured an entire neighborhood that was mysteriously abandoned in the Palmetto State. In a sense, you could almost call it a ghost town, even though it was never really a bonafide town. Check out these abandoned houses in South Carolina where an entire neighborhood used to thrive.
To people who may be passing down this lonesome country road that travels through some gorgeous farm country, it’s not likely they notice many of the subtle remains of a neighborhood that used to be full of life - and people.
Google Maps
But in the 1930s this neighborhood became known as “Ashwood Plantation.” It was developed as part of the New Deal’s “Resettlement Act” during the Roosevelt Administration. According to this Dept. of Agriculture Farm Security Administration archive, the project was an effort to resettle families in hardship onto farmland. In all, Ashwood Plantation boasted 11,336 acres with at least 153 homes, some of them brand new, others newly remodeled.
Library of Congress/Marion Wolcott
The project included 745 acres dedicated to a school and gymnasium. It also built and developed community services, including a cotton gin, livestock corral and loading chute, hatchery and brooder, sweet potato curing plant, feed and grist mill, general store, repair shop and garage, and a gas station. The photo above, taken in 1939, shows a group of Ashwood Plantation residents watching a baseball game.
Library of Congress/Marion Wolcott
In the below photo, also taken in 1939, in the backgound you can see some of the buildings that likely housed the services and businesses listed above. To the far right is what appears to be a dwelling and the buildings to the left all appear to be businesses.
Library of Congress/Marion Wolcott
The biggest surviving structure from Ashwood Plantation (shown here in 1937) still remains, even though the little neighborhood that sprang up around it is now mostly in ruins.
Library of Congress/Marion Wolcott
The old Ashwood school and gymnasium is reportedly still in use as a community building after Lee County adopted the property and gave it a little facelift.
waccamawcharlie/YouTube
But the rest of the neighborhood that thrived so heartily after Ashwood Plantation began in the 1930s is all but gone, reduced to some concrete foundations in the middle of a farm field.Here and there you’ll find evidence of the lives that once graced the area now filled with big lush fields surrounding the former school. An occasional set of steps harkens the sounds of school children and their families perhaps enjoying the annual May Day picnic.
Google Maps
Hidden in the woods along Schoolhouse Road, you’ll see the remnants of what was likely a pumphouse (shown above). And high in the clouds above it, peeking above the treetops, the old Ashwood Plantation water tower (shown below).
Google Maps
No one knows why the neighborhood dried up at Ashwood Plantation. Some speculate that crop prices were too low and farms too small for many of the new farmers to make a living.
Google Maps Others speculate the new farmers didn’t have enough experience in growing crops. Whatever the reason, it probably didn’t help that the Farm Security Administration disbanded the project in 1944. At some point after, the neighborhood disappeared, except for the buildings. And most of those were razed in the 1980s.
To see more of the old Ashwood school, check out this video from YouTube user waccamawcharlie:
For more abandoned places in South Carolina, check out this abandoned places road trip through the Palmetto State.
Google Maps
Library of Congress/Marion Wolcott
waccamawcharlie/YouTube
Google Maps
Others speculate the new farmers didn’t have enough experience in growing crops. Whatever the reason, it probably didn’t help that the Farm Security Administration disbanded the project in 1944. At some point after, the neighborhood disappeared, except for the buildings. And most of those were razed in the 1980s.
To see more of the old Ashwood school, check out this video from YouTube user waccamawcharlie:
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Address: Ashwood Plantation, South Carolina
The OIYS Visitor Center
Abandoned Neighborhood in South Carolina December 06, 2021 Tori Jane How old is the Ashwood Plantation in South Carolina? Ashwood Plantation is located in Lee County, South Carolina, and it was established as a government-sponsored agricultural community. It housed farmers who had been displaced by the disastrous Great Depression, and the project took on a life of its own over the decades. By the 1930s, Ashwood has homes in place for up to 160 families, and rent was inexpensive for its time. Rental allowances then were based on the number of draft animals a family owned; for example, a person with two horses could rent more land than a person who only had one horse. Unfortunately, the town was ill-equipped to survive for long; many residents were inexperienced and didn’t know much about farming, and the small sizes of individual farms were detrimental to their existence when low crop prices came into play. The project was disbanded in the mid-’40s, and by the 1980s, most of the buildings that existed there were gone. If you’re interested in old photos of South Carolina, check out this article! What are some interesting facts about South Carolina? If anyone ever tells you that South Carolina is a boring state, cut them out of your life. You don’t need that kind of negativity. South Carolina is a vibrant place with plenty of fun and interesting facts about its history, its people, and everything in between. For example, did you know that South Carolina grows more peaches than Georgia (which is literally famous for its peaches)? It’s true! Our beautiful state is also home to one of the oldest-known trees on the continent known as The Angel Oak. It’s estimated to be about 500 years old, if not older, and it’s known for its awe-inspiring beauty and grace. South Carolina is also – get this – the home state of barbecue itself, and are we ever proud of that! Come on, South Carolina barbecue sauce is the only barbecue sauce, as far as we’re concerned.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Abandoned Neighborhood in South Carolina
December 06, 2021
Tori Jane
How old is the Ashwood Plantation in South Carolina? Ashwood Plantation is located in Lee County, South Carolina, and it was established as a government-sponsored agricultural community. It housed farmers who had been displaced by the disastrous Great Depression, and the project took on a life of its own over the decades. By the 1930s, Ashwood has homes in place for up to 160 families, and rent was inexpensive for its time. Rental allowances then were based on the number of draft animals a family owned; for example, a person with two horses could rent more land than a person who only had one horse. Unfortunately, the town was ill-equipped to survive for long; many residents were inexperienced and didn’t know much about farming, and the small sizes of individual farms were detrimental to their existence when low crop prices came into play. The project was disbanded in the mid-’40s, and by the 1980s, most of the buildings that existed there were gone. If you’re interested in old photos of South Carolina, check out this article! What are some interesting facts about South Carolina? If anyone ever tells you that South Carolina is a boring state, cut them out of your life. You don’t need that kind of negativity. South Carolina is a vibrant place with plenty of fun and interesting facts about its history, its people, and everything in between. For example, did you know that South Carolina grows more peaches than Georgia (which is literally famous for its peaches)? It’s true! Our beautiful state is also home to one of the oldest-known trees on the continent known as The Angel Oak. It’s estimated to be about 500 years old, if not older, and it’s known for its awe-inspiring beauty and grace. South Carolina is also – get this – the home state of barbecue itself, and are we ever proud of that! Come on, South Carolina barbecue sauce is the only barbecue sauce, as far as we’re concerned.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Ashwood Plantation is located in Lee County, South Carolina, and it was established as a government-sponsored agricultural community. It housed farmers who had been displaced by the disastrous Great Depression, and the project took on a life of its own over the decades. By the 1930s, Ashwood has homes in place for up to 160 families, and rent was inexpensive for its time. Rental allowances then were based on the number of draft animals a family owned; for example, a person with two horses could rent more land than a person who only had one horse. Unfortunately, the town was ill-equipped to survive for long; many residents were inexperienced and didn’t know much about farming, and the small sizes of individual farms were detrimental to their existence when low crop prices came into play. The project was disbanded in the mid-’40s, and by the 1980s, most of the buildings that existed there were gone. If you’re interested in old photos of South Carolina, check out this article!
What are some interesting facts about South Carolina?
If anyone ever tells you that South Carolina is a boring state, cut them out of your life. You don’t need that kind of negativity. South Carolina is a vibrant place with plenty of fun and interesting facts about its history, its people, and everything in between. For example, did you know that South Carolina grows more peaches than Georgia (which is literally famous for its peaches)? It’s true! Our beautiful state is also home to one of the oldest-known trees on the continent known as The Angel Oak. It’s estimated to be about 500 years old, if not older, and it’s known for its awe-inspiring beauty and grace. South Carolina is also – get this – the home state of barbecue itself, and are we ever proud of that! Come on, South Carolina barbecue sauce is the only barbecue sauce, as far as we’re concerned.
