Dorchester Ghost Town

Dorchester County, South Carolina32.9481, -80.1697

Can you visit?

Public land, open access

Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site · Open to visitors

Nearest town
4 miSummerville, SC
Mild months
Jan–Dec10 of 12
Next ghost town
17 miStrawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site
Illustration of a south landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Dorchester. No free-licensed photo yet.

Dorchester, in Dorchester County, South Carolina, is a ghost town. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On the map

20 mi40 miCharlestonSummervilleHanahanDorchester
  • State
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Dorchester. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Summerville, SC, about 4 miles north in a straight line.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Strawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site17 mi northeast
  2. Ferguson34 mi north
  3. Ebenezer71 mi southwest
  4. Purrysburg71 mi southwest
  5. Dunbarton81 mi west
  6. Meyers Mill84 mi west
  7. Jacksonboro85 mi west
  8. Granby86 mi northwest

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

State land: Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site

PAD-US places this spot on Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, land managed by the state park agency. PAD-US marks it as open to the public. Park rules, fees and seasonal closures can still apply.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

0°20°40°60°80°100°5834Jan6237Feb6842Mar7650Apr8259May8767Jun9071Jul9070Aug8565Sep7753Oct6842Nov6137DecJan: 3.6 inFeb: 3.3 inMar: 3.9 inApr: 3.5 inMay: 3.5 inJun: 5.6 inJul: 6.8 inAug: 6.2 inSep: 5.9 inOct: 4.1 inNov: 3.0 inDec: 3.4 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run September to June, judging by NOAA normals from Summerville 4W. June to August bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Summerville 4W station (USC00388426), 7.1 miles away. About 52.8 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationDorchester County, South Carolina
Coordinates32.94810, -80.16970
Protected asNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP 69000165)
Also known asDorchester, South Carolina, Old Dorchester
SourcesWikidata Q5297585 · Wikipedia article · NPS register file

Questions

Where is Dorchester ghost town?

In Dorchester County, South Carolina, at 32.9481, -80.1697. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Summerville, SC, about 4 miles north in a straight line.

Can you visit Dorchester?

Public land, open access. PAD-US places this spot on Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, land managed by the state park agency. PAD-US marks it as open to the public. Park rules, fees and seasonal closures can still apply.

When is the best time to visit Dorchester?

Mild months here run September to June, judging by NOAA normals from Summerville 4W. June to August bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up.

Are there other ghost towns near Dorchester?

Yes. Strawberry Chapel and Childsbury Town Site (17 mi), Ferguson (34 mi).

More ghost towns in South Carolina

All 18 ghost towns in South Carolina