Lanford

Now nearly forgotten, the community of Lanford in eastern Laurens County was once a thriving railroad town. The railroad brought commerce to the area when a depot was erected in Lanford in 1886. However, like so many small railroad communities, the development of the automobile and highway system caused passenger rail service to decline – along with the towns the railroads once served. The Lanford train depot closed in 1933, eventually leaving the community in economic despair.

The former Lanford Post Office, pictured above, is now shuttered, along with Fleming’s General Store, seen below. Like Lone Star in Calhoun County, today Lanford is a ghost town dotted with shells of buildings that refuse to succumb to the absence of human attention.

Many thanks to Mark Elbrecht for the photos and information on this page. Do you have information about Lanford that you would like to share? If so, please send it to the South Carolina Picture Project. Thank you!