Visiting Marion, South Carolina

Visit the many historical sites in Marion, SC!

Begin your visit with a tour.

Visitors can obtain a self-guided tour brochure from:

Marion Chamber of Commerce
209 Bobby Gerald Parkway
Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-3561

Marion County Museum
101 Willcox Ave
Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-8299

Marion City Hall
107 S. Main St
Marion, SC 29571
(843) 423-5961

Things To Do

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Places to Go

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  • The Records Building, Marion, South Carolina

    The Records Building | Marion, South Carolina

    The Records Building, Courthouse Square, Marion, South Carolina Located on the site of the 1823 courthouse, this building was completed in 1903. Its architectural style is adapted from the late Romanesque revival that influenced the design of many public buildings of that period. The building is fireproof and houses the archives of the county. Visit [...]
  • Marion County Library, Marion South Carolina

    The Marion County Library | Marion, South Carolina

    Marion County Library, 101 E. Court Street, Marion, South Carolina The Library was organized and chartered in 1898 under the guidance of Judge C.A. Woods.  H.C. Graham, William Murchison, E.H. Byars, W.H. McLucas, S.W. Norwood, W.J. Montgomery, and J.W. Johnson joined Judge Woods in establishing a corporation known as "Marion Public Library" for the "improvement [...]
  • Marion SC The Grove Inn

    The Grove | Marion, South Carolina

    The Grove, 408 Harlee Street, Marion, South Carolina Today, most people think of The Grove as a house in Marion, but before there was a house, there was a famous cluster of oak trees on Alexander Ford's farm on the east side of Marion. In 1878, Mr. W.J. Montgomery (1851-1913) purchased the Ford Farm and, [...]
  • The Godbold House

    The Godbold House | Marion, South Carolina

    The Godbold House, 109 East Dozier Street, Marion, South Carolina The Godbold House is recorded as possibly the oldest house in Marion, South Carolina. An old Marion Star reports that the attic wall was painted "Built by Thomas Godbold, 1804." The home of Thomas and Ann Godbold, the original house was four rooms with a [...]
  • Francis Marion Statue, Marion Courthouse Square

    The Francis Marion Statue | Marion, South Carolina

    Francis Marion Statue, Marion Courthouse Square As the nation was celebrating the bicentennial of the American Revolution, Marion was drawing attention to its own piece in winning independence from England. B. Pratt Gasque was chairman of a committee to erect a statue of Revolutionary War Patriot Francis Marion on the green across the street in [...]
  • The Depot, Marion SC

    The Depot | Marion, South Carolina

    The Depot, 209 East Bobby Gerald Parkway, Marion, South Carolina The one-story brick passenger station is typical of the architectural style used for the early small-town station. A slate roof with an overhang is supported by decorative brackets.  The windows have stone lintels and sills. The City of Marion now owns the building which houses [...]
  • The Church of the Advent, Marion, SC

    The Church of the Advent | Marion, South Carolina

    The Church of the Advent, 307 South Main Street, Marion, South Carolina The Church of the Advent was organized in 1867, and the cornerstone of the church was laid in 1880 by General W.W. Harlee and within it are placed the names of J.F. Finger, builder, and George Edwards, mason. The small modified Gothic structure [...]
  • A vintage photograph of Taylors Barber Shop located at 205 North Main Street, Marion, South Carolina

    Taylor’s Barber Shop | Marion, South Carolina

    Taylors Barber Shop, 205 North Main Street, Marion, South Carolina In operation for well over 100 years, this business stands as a symbol of black achievement in the city of Marion. Other businesses have come and gone, but Taylor's Barber Shop withstood the test of time. Taylor's got its start when twentieth-century black entrepreneur, Rev. [...]
  • Old Town Cemetery, Marion, SC

    Old Town Cemetery | Marion, South Carolina

    Old Town Cemetery. located directly behind First United Methodist Church, Marion, South Carolina This was the first city cemetery and dates back to the 1830s, as evidenced by the grave markers. Due to its proximity to the Masonic Lodge, which was used as a military hospital during the Civil War, Confederate weapons were buried here [...]
  • Masonic Hall Marion SC

    Masonic Hall | Marion, South Carolina

    Masonic Hall, 203 E. Godbold Street, Marion, South Carolina, 29571 Photo credit: 28th Masonic District of South Carolina Ancient Free Masons Website This building was erected in 1822-1823 on a lot deeded to Lodge No. 25 on October 8, 1822, by General Thomas Godbold. James Bellune was the builder, and although altered in 1960, the [...]
  • Marion Presbyterian Church

    Marion Presbyterian Church | Marion, South Carolina

    Marion Presbyterian Church, 208 South Main Street, Marion, South Carolina David E. Frierson, of Harmony Presbytery, first preached here in Marion Courthouse in 1841. The church was organized in February 1852 with six charter members: Archibald and Margaret Carmichael or Little Pee Dee Church, Rebecca E. Frierson of Great Pee Dee Church, Sophia E. McIntyre [...]

  • Marion Opera House | Marion, South Carolina

    The Marion Opera House, 109 West Godbold Street, Marion, South Carolina The two-story rectangular brick structure is a simple classic-revival design. Erected as the Town Hall and Opera House in 1892, the first floor housed the town courtroom, the town jail, and the fire department. The second floor was used for graduation exercises, public speaking, [...]
  • Marion County Museum, Marion, SC

    Marion County Museum | Marion, South Carolina

    Marion County Museum, 101 Wilcox Avenue, Marion, South Carolina This building pictured, the first public school in Marion County, was built in 1886 by the Marion Academy Society, chartered in 1811. The Society, which had operated a private school here for almost seventy years, then turned the school over to the Marion County School District [...]
  • Old-Courthouse-Marion-SC

    Marion County Courthouse | Marion, South Carolina

    Marion County Courthouse located on Main Street The present courthouse is the third to be built on the square. The first was a wooden structure built in the early 1800s that was sold, moved to the present site of the First Baptist Church, and converted into a dwelling. The second building, made of bricks and [...]
  • First United Methodist Church, Marion, SC

    First United Methodist Church | Marion, South Carolina

    First United Methodist Church, 307 East Godbold Street, Marion, SC The current building is the third structure on this site. The initial building was the first school building for the town. The academy exchanged sites with the Methodist Church; the second church was built here in 1853. The present church structure was begun in 1912 [...]

  • Confederate Monument | Marion, South Carolina

    Confederate Monument located in the southeast Town Square, Marion, South Carolina Unveiled on October 21, 1903, the Confederate Monument cost $2,300 to cast and build. The seven-foot bronze replica of a Confederate soldier features his blanket strapped across his shoulders, his haversack at his side, his musket at rest, and he is facing the north. [...]

Just for fun

A group of volunteers annually plans the Marion FoxTrot Festival, set for the third Saturday in May. You won’t want to miss this year’s event!

Historically Speaking

By 1979, the City of Marion had preserved and had declared on the National Register a large historic district of about 1,150 acres, containing some 90 buildings and several monuments. Thirty of those buildings and one monument are viewable on the National Register of Historic Places website.

The City of Marion’s Historic Main Street Revitalization Association showcases the historic district’s businesses, services, and entities. Visit HMRA for information about this group’s efforts regarding maintaining the historical flavor in Marion.

City of Marion Hike and Bike Trail

A two-mile track runs through the City, beginning at the City’s Historic Train Depot and running to the Catfish Creek Canal west of town. The wonderfully landscaped paved trail features a fountain and benches. Officials in Marion County and the City of Marion began collaborating on a Rails-to-Trails project in 1986, when the county acquired the Marion-to-Mullins segment of an abandoned railroad line, then deeded the portion within city limits to the City.

In 1987, the City turned its segment into a greenway. The City has since acquired two additional miles of the line as a fitness trail, and in 1992, it opened the first quarter-mile section, calling it the Marion Hike and Bike Trail.

City of Marion Historic Homes and Churches

To learn more about the history of Marion, purchase the Marion Chamber of Commerce’s booklet entitled Marion, South Carolina. Contact the Chamber at 843-423-3561 to learn how to order your copy.

News Resources

The City of Marion is home to one of the state’s oldest continually operating weekly newspapers. With a history that dates to the 1850s, copies of the newspaper are on microfilm in the county library. Additionally, the newspaper has an online presence and maintains many bound copies of its old issues at its 211 E. Bobby Gerald Boulevard office.

Recreation

The City of Marion has several recreational and nature parks. Learn more about them by clicking here.

One of the area’s finest resources is its natural beauty. Marion County is bounded on the west by the Great Pee Dee River, which begins as the Yadkin in North Carolina and ends in the Winyah Bay at Georgetown, and to the east by the Little Pee Dee River, which has been designated a scenic river.

The Little Pee Dee State Park, a picturesque 25-minute drive from the City of Marion center “through the country,” will lead you to a complete outdoor experience on one of the nation’s more scenic rivers. Visitors can enjoy camping, fishing, and other water sports.

 

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