Fort Lawn

History

John A. G. Walker owned a plantation in Chester County. After Walker died in the 1870s, his widow wanted a town built, which would be named Walkerville. She offered the Chester and Cheraw Railroad land to build a line through the proposed town, which they did. The Walkers' daughter married a Dr. Fort, who had a large home with a lawn next to the railroad. The story is that the railroad's conductor would say, "Everybody off for Fort's Lawn!" After Southern Power built a dam in 1907, the nearby town of Great Falls saw considerably more growth than Fort Lawn. In 1959, area leaders worked to attract industry, and over the next three years, companies including Springs Industries spent $18 million.

Geography

Fort Lawn is in eastern Chester County about west of the Catawba River. U.S. Route 21 passes through the town, leading north to Rock Hill and south to Great Falls. South Carolina Highway 9 crosses US 21 in the center of Fort Lawn, leading east across the Catawba River to Lancaster and west to Interstate 77 north of Richburg. Fort Lawn has a total area of , all of it land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  979
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  951
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  795
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  775
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  742
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  647
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  624
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  623

Largest nearby schools

• Lewisville Elementary
  Elementary · Richburg · 510 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Lewisville High
  High · Richburg · 416 students · 13.4:1 ratio
• Lewisville Middle
  Middle · Richburg · 416 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Great Falls High
  High · Great Falls · 386 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Great Falls Elementary
  Elementary · Great Falls · 348 students · 14.5:1 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 2.57 — 2025-04-26
  6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina
• M 2.5 — 2024-09-15
  6 km E of Elgin, South Carolina
• M 2.65 — 2024-03-09
  5 km E of Elgin, South Carolina