South Carolina: Union County

Union County, South Carolina was named for the old Union Church. The church was erected in 1765 near the present day town of Union, the county seat.

In the colonial period, the area of modern Union County, South Carolina was included in the North Carolina counties of Anson, Mecklenburg, and Tryon. For this reason, many grants and deeds from North Carolina are referenced in the Union County deeds. After the Carolina border surveys of 1764 and 1772, the area of present-day Union County was determined to be in South Carolina and became a part of Ninety-Six District in 1769.

Union County, South Carolina was formed in 1785 as a county within Ninety Six District. When Ninety Six District was discontinued in 1791, Union County was part of Pinckney District until 1799. In 1800, with the end of the county court system, it became Union District until 1868, when it was renamed Union County, then bordering on the counties of Spartanburg, Laurens, Newberry, Fairfield, York, and Chester. In 1897, Cherokee County was formed from Spartanburg, Union and York Counties, leaving Union County with its current borders.