Owings Historic District
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Portions of N. Old Laurens Road, SC Highway 14, Quarry Road, Friendship Church Road, Bragg Road, and Depot Road, Owings, SC (Laurens County)
NRHP Nomination Form
Record Number:
S10817730027
Description and Narrative:
Owings is an unincorporated community in northern Laurens County situated on the west side of Interstate 385. The Owings Historic District encompasses most of the town’s northern half. The district occupies the area where the town’s commercial center first developed following the construction of the Greenville & Laurens Railroad in 1886. The district includes one- and two-story commercial buildings, churches and their respective cemeteries, and one- and two-story houses. The contributing resources of the district were constructed between c. 1890 and 1966. Most of the buildings originate from or have integrity to Owings’s period of early economic development spurred by the railroad in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wood-frame and masonry construction are present, with wood siding, brick, and metal as common exterior wall materials. Most commercial buildings are vernacular and of brick construction, while residential buildings are a mix of vernacular and early 20th century architectural styles, including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and Craftsman. The district is significant for its association with the town’s initial development, beginning with the c. 1890 construction of the Owings Depot and continuing through 1921, when the second of the town’s two original church buildings were completed, marking the end of its initial institutional development. The Owings Historic District remained a vital commercial center for residents in and around the community into the mid-century period, offering a variety of commercial and light industrial enterprises into the 1960s. However, with the decline of small farms and migration to cities, Owings’s importance as a commercial hub for the local community waned. The closure of the Owings Post Office in 1966 reflects this decline and the end of the district’s importance to local commerce. The district is also significant for its small but varied collection of commercial, residential, and ecclesiastical buildings, which represent a range of types and styles from the first half of the 20th century. Listed in the National Register September 24, 2025.
Period of Significance:
circa 1890 – 1966
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Commerce;Exploration/Settlement;Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
2025-09-24
Date of Boundary Increase:
No Boundary Increase
County:
Laurens County;Owings
