Chapin

History

Chapin was named after Martin Chapin in 1889. After he and Laura Anne Benjamin were married on June 16, 1850, the couple moved down South because of Martin's health (a lung condition). The Chapins were living in Columbia when Martin's doctor suggested he to move to the Piney Woods area. Over the years, Chapin bought of land in this area. He built a home in Piney Woods, and later a hotel in the 1880s along the new rail line that ran from Columbia to Laurens, the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad. The railroad provided a way to trade and transport goods to the capital city. Cotton and the lumber industry were flourishing with the railroad providing transportation. After Martin's death on August 31, 1894, Laura Chapin sold their home and moved into the Chapin hotel. On March 28, 1907, Job S. Wessinger, P.M. Frick, and J. S. Honeycut founded the Bank of Chapin. One year later, the building for the bank was built. The bank prospered with help from the railroad. During World War I, Chapin was doing well economically. The price of cotton had risen and the farmers were making plenty of money. As a result, the Bank of Chapin was also thriving during this time. The first high school was built in 1924. Slowly the businesses in Chapin were starting to experience hard times nearing the 1930s. On Thursday, October 15, 1931, the Bank of Chapin did not open, and like other banks around the world, the bank would not allow customers to withdraw their money. Anybody who had money saved in the bank lost that money due to the crash of the stock market, later known as the start of the Great Depression. Another disaster to hit Chapin was the building of the dam on the Saluda River that would result in the building of a lake. This lake would take over most of the Chapin families’…

Geography

Chapin is located in the northern corner of Lexington County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.53%, are water. While Chapin is a part of Lexington County, the creation of Lake Murray by the Dreher Shoals Dam cut Chapin off from the rest of the county by road, creating something of an exclave.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,239
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  7,347
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  6,830
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,475
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  5,564
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,535
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,405
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  5,143

Largest nearby schools

• Chapin High
  High · Chapin · 1,615 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Chapin Intermediate
  Middle · Chapin · 913 students · 16:1 ratio
• Chapin Elementary
  Elementary · Chapin · 790 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Piney Woods Elementary
  Elementary · Chapin · 501 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Odyssey Online Learning
  High · Chapin · 465 students · 58.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3 — 2026-02-26
  5 km WSW of Irmo, South Carolina
• M 2.84 — 2026-02-13
  4 km WSW of Irmo, South Carolina
• M 2.72 — 2026-01-20
  5 km ESE of Elgin, South Carolina
• M 2.54 — 2025-08-23
  4 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 3.04 — 2025-08-23
  3 km N of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 2.88 — 2025-08-23
  3 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina