Dorchester in Dorchester County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Dorchester
Photographed by Dean Moss McCracken, February 20, 2014
1. Dorchester Marker (side 1)
This town, in Colleton County before Dorchester County was founded in 1897, dates to the early 19th century and the origins of railroading in S.C. By 1843, only ten years after the S.C. Canal & Rail Road Company completed its first 133 miles of track from Charleston to Hamburg, the station here was called Ross, sometimes known as Ross's, Ross's Station, or Ross's Turnout. The post office established here in 1854 was called Elmville until Reconstruction.
The railroad, later the S.S. RR and by 1899 part of the Southern Railway, kept a station, a "turnout" or second set of tracks, and a water tower here for more than 100 years. It carried wood, turpentine, pulpwood, and livestock, and was instrumental in the town's development. The post office here was renamed Ross Station by 1875, then renamed Dorchester in 1903. The town, incorporated as Rosses in 1892, was incorporated again as Dorchester in 1912.
Erected 2012 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History; sponsored by The Upper Dorchester County Historical Society and the Norfolk Southern Corporation. (Marker Number 18-17.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers
this page online
Location. 33° 8.332′ N, 80° 23.745′ W. Marker is in Dorchester, South Carolina, in Dorchester County. It is at the intersection of U.S. 78 and School House Road (County Route S-18), on the right when traveling east on U.S. 78. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Dorchester SC 29437, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Four Holes Swamp Bridge / Harley's Tavern (approx. 2½ miles away); Four Holes Swamp (approx. 2½ miles away); Revolutionary War Cannon (approx. 2½ miles away); Moorefield Memorial Highway, (Southern Terminus) (approx. 2.6 miles away); Berkeley County (approx. 4.9 miles away); Ridgeville (approx. 5½ miles away); Harleyville (approx. 6 miles away); St. Paul Camp Ground (approx. 6.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dorchester.
Photographed by Dean Moss McCracken, February 20, 2014
2. Dorchester Marker (side 2)
Photographed by Dean Moss McCracken, February 20, 2014
3. Dorchester Marker
Westbound view toward St. George, SC.
Photographed by Dean Moss McCracken, February 20, 2014
4. Dorchester Marker
Eastbound view toward Summerville, SC.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 20, 2014, by Dean Moss McCracken of Lakeland, Florida. This page has been viewed 941 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 20, 2014, by Dean Moss McCracken of Lakeland, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
