Chester, seat of Chester County, is one of three South Carolina towns named by settlers after their Pennsylvania homes when they migrated here in 1755 (the other two are York and Lancaster). The county was one of those created when the assembly reformed the state judicial districts in 1785. Situated between the Broad and Catawba Rivers, the town became an early center of commerce for the Midlands. Hydroelectric development of the rivers brought a number of textile mills to the county and town in the early 20th century. Here, Main Street is pictured in a postcard view around 1910.
Courtesy of the Howard G. Woody Postcard Collection.