Oldest Dams in South Carolina

South Carolina has 2032 dams with recorded construction dates. The oldest dates to 1800 — 226 years ago. South Carolina's earliest dams were built in the 19th century, an era of westward expansion, irrigation development, and early water infrastructure. Older dams require particular attention for safety, as many were built before modern engineering standards.

#	Dam	County	Year Built	Age	Height (ft)	Hazard	Condition
1	Knight Millpond Dam	Chesterfield	1800	226 yrs	12	Significant	Fair
2	Beaverdam Millpond Dam	Darlington	1800	226 yrs	7	High	Poor
3	Mccalls Millpond Dam	Marlboro	1800	226 yrs	15	Low	Poor
4	Loring Millpond Dam	Sumter	1800	226 yrs	10	Significant	Poor
5	Sawmill Pond Dam	Sumter	1800	226 yrs	11	Low	Poor
6	Dinkins Millpond Dam	Sumter	1800	226 yrs	14	High	Fair
7	Swan Lake Dam	Sumter	1800	226 yrs	12	Low	Poor
8	Ardis Pond Dam	Sumter	1800	226 yrs	11	Low	Poor
9	Ophelias Dam	Union	1800	226 yrs	48	Low	Poor
10	Drakes Pond Dam	Marlboro	1803	223 yrs	8	Low	Not Rated
11	Spiveys Millpond Dam	Dillon	1810	216 yrs	8	High	Poor
12	Conestee Lake Dam	Greenville	1812	214 yrs	28	Significant	Poor
13	Cherokee Falls	Cherokee	1826	200 yrs	20	Significant	Satisfactory
14	Hancocks Pond Dam	Lee	1830	196 yrs	10	Low	Poor
15	Ellerbees Millpond Dam	Sumter	1830	196 yrs	7	Significant	Fair
16	Pitts Lake Dam	Lexington	1831	195 yrs	17	Low	Fair
17	Burnt Factory Pond Dam	Marlboro	1836	190 yrs	18	High	Poor
18	Poinsett State Park Lake Dam	Sumter	1841	185 yrs	16	Low	Fair
19	Frances Coker Dam	Clarendon	1850	176 yrs	9	Low	Poor
20	C S Newson Dam	Lee	1850	176 yrs	8	Low	Poor
21	Cains Millpond Dam	Sumter	1850	176 yrs	9	Significant	Not Rated
22	Dogwood Lake Dam	Sumter	1850	176 yrs	10	Low	Unsatisfactory
23	Willis Millpond Dam	Barnwell	1855	171 yrs	9	Significant	Poor
24	Robert Jenny Dam	Hampton	1860	166 yrs	8	Low	Not Rated
25	Steedman Pond Dam	Lexington	1860	166 yrs	15	Low	Fair
26	Lake Shamokin Dam	Kershaw	1865	161 yrs	10	Low	Poor
27	Davids Millpond Dam	Marlboro	1870	156 yrs	9	Significant	Not Rated
28	Wallace Pond Dam	Marlboro	1870	156 yrs	12	Low	Poor
29	Colonial Lake Dam	Kershaw	1873	153 yrs	17	High	Fair
30	Ratcliff Millpond Dam	Kershaw	1873	153 yrs	16	Low	Not Rated
31	Piedmont	Anderson	1874	152 yrs	26	High	Satisfactory
32	Mcnairs Millpond Dam	Marlboro	1875	151 yrs	17	Significant	Poor
33	Culler Millpond Dam	Orangeburg	1875	151 yrs	13	Low	Poor
34	Valentine Pond Dam	Orangeburg	1875	151 yrs	17	Low	Fair
35	J A Moss Dam	Orangeburg	1875	151 yrs	16	Low	Unsatisfactory
36	Vaucluse Pond Dam	Aiken	1877	149 yrs	42	High	Fair
37	Boykin Millpond Dam	Kershaw	1880	146 yrs	12	Significant	Fair
38	Arrants Pond Dam	Lexington	1880	146 yrs	34	Low	Fair
39	Blue Circle Dam	Orangeburg	1880	146 yrs	10	Low	Not Rated
40	Upper Pelzer	Anderson	1881	145 yrs	31	High	Fair
41	Paxton Millpond Dam	Lexington	1882	144 yrs	15	Low	Poor
42	Columbia Embankment And Canal Spillway	Richland	1882	144 yrs	8	Significant	Unsatisfactory
43	Rileys Pond Dam	Calhoun	1885	141 yrs	14	High	Fair
44	Clifton Mills Pond 2 Dam	Spartanburg	1888	138 yrs	16	Low	Fair
45	Mountain Lake Dam	Greenville	1889	137 yrs	40	High	Fair
46	Lake Placid Dam	Greenville	1889	137 yrs	28	High	Fair
47	Staley Pond Dam	Calhoun	1890	136 yrs	18	Low	Fair
48	Woodward Mill Pond Dam	Chesterfield	1890	136 yrs	14	Low	Fair
49	Adams Millpond Dam	Kershaw	1890	136 yrs	13	High	Poor
50	Upper Pacolet	Spartanburg	1890	136 yrs	21	Low	Satisfactory

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