Laurence
Ghost town · Dorchester County, South Carolina

Laurence is a ghost town in Dorchester County, South Carolina. It is one of 7 former communities in Dorchester County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 19th among the 43 South Carolina counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Laurence as a historical populated place on the Ridgeville topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 33.0638° N, 80.2562° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Ridgeville |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 58 ft |
| Nearest living town | Ridgeville, SC |
| Distance to it | 3.5 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1241138 |
| Coordinates | 33.06378, -80.25621 |
What's there now
Laurence is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Ridgeville, SC (population 1,591), about 3.5 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 58 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Inabinettsghost town · Dorchester County · 6 mi
- Sandy Runghost town · Berkeley County · 6.8 mi
- Black Tomghost town · Berkeley County · 7.9 mi
- Wassamassawghost town · Berkeley County · 8.1 mi
- Waringvilleghost town · Dorchester County · 9 mi
- Dorchesterghost town · Dorchester County · 9.3 mi
- Hopeghost town · Berkeley County · 11.2 mi
- Casey Hillghost town · Berkeley County · 11.4 mi
- Fox Bankghost town · Berkeley County · 11.9 mi
- Winwrightghost town · Dorchester County · 12.7 mi
- Bombarettaghost town · Berkeley County · 13.7 mi
- Locklairghost town · Berkeley County · 13.8 mi
Questions
Where is Laurence?
Laurence is in Dorchester County, South Carolina, at 33.0638, -80.2562.
How many ghost towns are in Dorchester County?
Dorchester County, South Carolina has 7 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.