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The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

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Smyrna

SC PICTURE PROJECT 1 Comment

SC Picture Project / York County / Smyrna

This abandoned barber shop in the community of Smyrna once housed a bustling business. The hamlet was named for and grew around a local church, Smyrna Associate Reformed Presbyterian, established in 1834 and chartered in 1843. A school was organized in Smyrna in 1870. When the Charleston, Cincinnati, and Chicago Railroad laid tracks here in 1888, other businesses began to develop in the community, and the town was chartered in January 5, 1895. Gold mines were discovered in the area in the nineteenth century, and in 1851, a 20-pound gold nugget was found in the Martin Mine.

Smyrna Barbershop

Theresa Borgeson of Conway, 2017 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The above building was once part of the Whitesides Company, owned by Les and Gladys Whitesides. Gladys died in February of 2016, and the land has since passed to Robert Faulkner, who says the property has been in his family since 1898, when his great-grandfather established a business here called Whiteside’s General Store. The general store closed in 2007, but Faulkner hopes to apply for historical grants and re-open much of the property in the near future. The property includes this barbershop, a cotton gin, and a combination general store and gas station.

Smyrna Barber Shop

Charles Payne of Rock Hill, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The incorporated town is the smallest in South Carolina, and the above barber shop was at one time the smallest such business in the state. The 2000 census showed a population of just 59 people in Smyrna. It encompasses a half-mile radius in any direction from the depot.

We would like to make this page better. Do you have information about Smyrna you could share? If so, please send it to the South Carolina Picture Project. Thank you!

Plan Your Trip: Smyrna

Where is Smyrna located?
Address: South Carolina Highway 97, Smyrna, SC 29743
GPS Coordinates: 35.041631,-81.407974
What else should I see?
Hopewell Presbyterian Church 7.9 miles
Blacksburg Police Department 13.2 miles
Kings Mountain State Park 13.6 miles
Osment's Grocery 13.8 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Stores
    Smyrna Map

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    Comments

    1. Danny Smith says

      March 28, 2019 at 9:30 PM

      I’m coming there on vacation in a couple of weeks. It is a beautiful town, I’ll post more about it after my vacation.

      Reply

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