Winnsboro

History

Based on archeological evidence, this area of the Piedmont was occupied by various cultures of indigenous peoples from as early as the Archaic period, about 1500 BC. Blair Mound is a nearby archeological site and earthwork likely occupied 1300–1400 AD, as part of the late Mississippian culture in the region. Several years before the Revolutionary War, Richard Winn from Virginia moved to what is now Fairfield County in the upland or Piedmont area of South Carolina. His lands included the present site of Winnsboro. As early as 1777, the settlement was known as "Winnsborough", since he was the major landowner. His brothers John and Minor Winn joined him there, adding to family founders. The village was laid out and chartered in 1785 upon petition of Richard and John Winn and John Vanderhorst. The brothers Richard, John, and Minor Winn all served in the Revolutionary War. Richard became a general, and was said to have fought in more battles than any Whig in South Carolina. John gained the rank of colonel. The area was developed for the cultivation of short-staple cotton after Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1793, which made processing of this type of cotton profitable. Previously, it was considered too labor intensive. Short-staple cotton was widely cultivated on plantations in upland areas throughout the Deep South, through an interior area that became known as the Black Belt. The increased demand for slave labor resulted in the forced migration of more than one million African-American slaves into the area through sales in the domestic slave market. By the time of the Civil War, the county's population was majority black and majority slave. Textile mills were constructed in the area beginning in the late 19th century, and originally only whites were…

Geography

US 321 Business passes through Winnsboro. The unincorporated community of Winnsboro Mills borders the south side of Winnsboro. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Winnsboro has a total area of , all land. | Jan avg record high F = 71.3 | Feb avg record high F = 74.5 | Mar avg record high F = 82.2 | Apr avg record high F = 87.2 | May avg record high F = 91.7 | Jun avg record high F = 96.9 | Jul avg record high F = 98.5 | Aug avg record high F = 97.5 | Sep avg record high F = 93.1 | Oct avg record high F = 85.9 | Nov avg record high F = 78.1 | Dec avg record high F = 72.0 | year avg record high F = 100.0 | Jan avg record low F = 16.6 | Feb avg record low F = 20.7 | Mar avg record low F = 25.6 | Apr avg record low F = 33.8 | May avg record low F = 43.9 | Jun avg record low F = 56.9 | Jul avg record low F = 62.5 | Aug avg record low F = 60.8 | Sep avg record low F = 50.3 | Oct avg record low F = 36.3 | Nov avg record low F = 26.6 | Dec avg record low F = 21.9 | year avg record low F = 14.4 | Jan record high F = 84 | Feb record high F = 82 | Mar record high F = 92 | Apr record high F = 96 | May record high F = 102 | Jun record high F = 107 | Jul record high F = 108 | Aug record high F = 106 | Sep record high F = 106 | Oct record high F = 100 | Nov record high F = 88 | Dec record high F = 81 | Jan record low F = -1 | Feb record low F = -3 | Mar record low F = 5 | Apr record low F = 19 | May record low F = 29 | Jun record low F = 49 | Jul record low F = 50 | Aug record low F = 50 | Sep record low F = 36 | Oct record low F = 25 | Nov record low F = 11 | Dec record low F = -1 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in | Jan precipitation days = 10.6 | Feb precipitation days = 9.8 | Mar precipitation days = 9.2 | Apr precipitation days = 8.6 | May precipitation…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  171
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  150
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  144
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  133
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  103
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  101
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  97
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  80

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