Inman

History

Inman was incorporated by South Carolina on December 22, 1882 at the crossroads of Howard Gap and Blackstock. Portions of this route were later adopted and expanded by early settlers into the wagon road known as Howard Gap Road, which became a principal corridor through the region by the late eighteenth century. William Gowan, a local landowner, founded the town by volunteering to build a railroad depot which convinced the railroad to create a stop at the city. Since there was already a town named Gowansville, some local historians have said town was named after the president of the railroad or a surveyor However, according to geographer Henry Gannett, the town was named after a local resident. The town emerged as a small settlement, with businesses such as a blacksmith, a bank, and even a barber shop springing up around the depot. During the 1930s Inman was considered the fresh peach capital of the world. In 1901, James A. Chapman founded Inman Mills, a company that still spins and weaves fabric. The mill was designed by W.B. Smith Whaley and was one of the city's major employers for many years. The original mill was closed in 2001 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. The building has been converted into apartments. In 1935, a local man named Bryson Hammet found a large stone off South Carolina highway 292 with various markings and the year 1567 carved into it. Historians have debated the authenticity and meaning of the stone for decades with many attributing the stone to Spanish Explorer and gold seeker Captain Juan Pardo.

Geography

Inman lies just north of Spartanburg, and a few miles south of the North Carolina-South Carolina border. The city's historic district lies along South Carolina Highway 292 just north of its intersection with U.S. Route 176 (which passes along the southwestern edge of the city). SC 292 also connects Inman with Interstate 26 to the east. Inman Mills, an unincorporated community, lies immediately southwest of Inman. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Inman is located in the Upstate region of South Carolina. The weather is temperate year-round, due to its location in the Isothermal Belt, a phenomenon that results when warmer air on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains blows over the mountains, leaving a trough where significant temperature inversions of 20 degrees Fahrenheit or greater can occur.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,367
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  5,332
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  4,933
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,916
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  4,451
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,384
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,141
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,076

Most recent

• 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
• M 2.73 — 2025-08-14
  7 km N of Columbus, North Carolina
• M 2.53 — 2024-10-13
  3 km NNW of Coronaca, South Carolina
• M 3.24 — 2023-06-04
  4 km NNW of West Canton, North Carolina