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South Carolina County
Union County, South Carolina
Union's Susan Smith case and textile mill heritage - from the Susan Smith case (in October 1994, Susan Smith told Union County police that a Black carjacker had taken her car with her two young sons inside - nine days later she confessed to driving her car into John D. Long Lake with her children strapped inside - the case shocked the nation and raised questions about racial bias in the original investigation) to Union County's deep textile mill heritage (Union County was a significant South Carolina textile manufacturing community - the decline of the mills has posed substantial economic challenges to a community still navigating the post-industrial transition).
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Office: Union County Emergency Management – Emergency Operations Center, 414 South Pinckney Street, Union, SC 29379
Services: Countywide disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; coordinates with Union County Sheriff’s Office, City of Union Public Safety, Jonesville Police Department, Union County EMS, and Union County Fire Departments through E911 and Communications
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-176 and SC-49 serve Union, the county seat, in the Piedmont/Upstate region
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Union County Department of Building Safety & Floodplain Management – 1246 S. Duncan By-Pass, Suite B, Union, SC 29379 | (864) 424-2341 | Email: [email protected]
Services: Building permits (residential, commercial, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, mobile home, fire alarm/sprinkler) for unincorporated Union County under the 2021 South Carolina Building Code; South Carolina law allows property owners to build/improve a 1-2 family residence themselves under specific conditions (no sale/rental for 2 years, direct owner supervision, notice filed with Register of Deeds); commercial work over $10,000 requires an SC Contractor’s Licensing Board license
Notes: City of Union – 101 Sharpe Avenue, (864) 429-1717 – maintains its own SEPARATE permitting process; confirm the correct jurisdiction for your property.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Union County Veterans Affairs Office – Union, SC
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Union County Library – 300 E. South St, Union, SC 29379 | (864) 427-7140 | Email: [email protected]
Services: Offers a live chat option for reference assistance in addition to standard in-person and phone service
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Union County is genuinely home to ROSE HILL PLANTATION STATE HISTORIC SITE, the preserved 44-acre home of William Henry Gist (1807-1874), South Carolina’s 68th governor, widely known to history as the “Secession Governor”; Gist built the brick Georgian-style mansion between 1828 and 1832 on land inherited from his father, later remodeling it with stucco and double-tiered piazzas in the Greek Revival style seen today; during his 1858-1860 governorship, Gist was a leading architect of South Carolina’s secession movement, keeping the state legislature in special session ahead of the 1860 presidential election and, following Abraham Lincoln’s victory, declaring that “the only alternative left, in my judgment, is the secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union”; on December 20, 1860, Gist was among 170 men who signed South Carolina’s Ordinance of Secession, the first state to formally leave the Union and a direct precursor to the Civil War; at its height, Rose Hill was one of the largest enslaved communities in the Union District, holding as many as 178 enslaved people who labored primarily in cotton agriculture, along with some skilled trades and household work; three of Gist’s sons served in the Confederate Army, and one, William, was killed in action in 1863; the plantation itself was spared destruction during General Sherman’s 1865 March to the Sea only because flooding on the Broad River prevented his troops from crossing into Union County; after emancipation, many formerly enslaved families left Rose Hill, though some – including Vardy and Clayborn Gist – chose to remain as tenant farmers, registering to vote and joining the state militia during Reconstruction; the property fell into disrepair after Gist’s 1874 death before being restored by private owner Clyde Franks in the 1940s and ultimately sold to the State of South Carolina in 1960, becoming a state park; the site today is affiliated with the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Notes: Rose Hill Plantation’s genuine, extensively documented history – as the home of a principal architect of South Carolina’s secession from the Union, alongside the difficult and honestly preserved history of the enslaved community there – represents a historically significant and carefully interpreted site in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Union County GIS – accessible via countyofunion.com
Parcel Search: Union County Assessor
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Union County E-911 & Communications
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Union County/City Animal Shelter – 1647 Jonesville Highway, Union, SC 29379 (located beside the County Jail) | (864) 429-2808 / (864) 466-2720 | Email: [email protected] | Hours: Mon–Fri 1–5 PM for public viewing (some sources list broader Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM, Sat–Sun 9 AM–1 PM – confirm current hours directly)
Services: A jointly operated shelter serving both Union County and the City of Union; Union County Animal Control covers the unincorporated county plus the incorporated Towns of Carlisle, Jonesville, and Lockhart, while the City of Union handles animal control within its own municipal boundaries – all animals from both jurisdictions are brought to this single shared shelter; all animals must be spayed/neutered before adoption or leaving the shelter; adoptable pets are also listed on Petfinder (uccs.petfinder.com) and on the shelter’s Facebook page
Related: Union County Humane Society – 218 N Pinckney St, Union, SC 29379, (864) 427-6423, a nonprofit spay/neuter and adoption support partner.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Complaints: SC DHEC – scdhec.gov
Notes: Contact Union County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Union County is genuinely home to Rose Hill Plantation, the preserved home of William Henry Gist, South Carolina’s “Secession Governor,” a historically significant site interpreting the state’s role in leading the nation into the Civil War alongside the difficult history of the enslaved community there. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Union County
Union County is upstate South Carolina’s post-textile Piedmont county navigating economic transition – the 1994 Susan Smith case brought devastating national attention to a community already challenged by the collapse of the textile mills that had defined the county’s economy for a century.
Union (the county seat, population ~7,500) is working to diversify its economy after the textile industry’s decline. The county’s Piedmont location between Spartanburg and Charlotte provides access to the broader regional economy.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Union County Assessor at 210 W. Main Street, Room 109, Union, SC 29379, phone 864-429-1618. SC owner-occupied assessed at 4% of market value.
Courts & Legal
Union County Probate Court at 210 W. Main Street, Room 109, Union, SC 29379, phone 864-429-1640, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
210 West Main St, Union, SC 29379
(864) 429-1630
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Union County Probate Court, Union (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Union County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Union County Probate Court Union County Courthouse, 210 West Main Street, Union, SC 29379 (864) 429-1625
Union County is in the upstate/Piedmont region of South Carolina, seated in Union. The Probate Court is located at the corner of West Main and North Herndon Streets.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
South Carolina HAS adopted a version of the Uniform Probate Code, giving it more standardized and generally more streamlined procedures than states with older, common-law-based systems. Probate is handled by a dedicated Probate Court in each of South Carolina’s 46 counties – a separate court of limited jurisdiction, led by an elected Probate Judge (four-year term). The case is filed in the county where the decedent lived.
Small Estate Affidavit / Collection by Affidavit (S.C. Code Ann. § 62-3-1201) – available when the gross value of the entire probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, does not exceed $45,000 (raised from $25,000 for deaths after May 2025). At least 30 days must have passed since death, and no petition for appointment of a personal representative can be pending anywhere. The successor files a Form 420PC “Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property,” which the probate judge approves and countersigns.
Summary Administration (§ 62-3-1203) – a simplified probate procedure available when the value of the estate passing by will (less liens and encumbrances) is under the statutory threshold, or when the surviving spouse is the sole heir or beneficiary.
Informal Probate – the standard path for the majority of estates. No notices or hearings are required unless demanded by an interested party.
Formal Proceedings – reserved for contested matters: objections to a personal representative’s appointment, will contests, a lost or destroyed will, or declaratory judgments on intestacy.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files a petition with the Union County Probate Court where the decedent resided; if there’s a will, the original is filed with it.
For informal probate, the Probate Judge (or a designated staff member) reviews the application administratively; formal proceedings require notice and a hearing.
The court issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative files an inventory and appraisement within 90 days of qualification, and provides periodic accountings as the court requires.
Creditors are notified; claims not timely presented are barred.
The estate closes with a final settlement – a verified report and proposed distribution served on interested parties and approved by the Probate Court.
What it costs
Filing fees vary; check with Union County directly for current fees.
A personal representative’s bond, when required, must equal one and one-half times the value of the estate’s personal property, though bond can often be waived under certain conditions.
South Carolina does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax applies, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
PROBATE COURT
210 West Main St, Union, SC 29379
(864) 429-1630
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
315 East South St, Union, SC 29379
(864) 429-1611
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
VOTER REGISTRATION AND ELECTIONS
210 West Main St, Union, SC 29379
(864) 429-1620
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
DHEC Public Health Office
210 East South St, Union, SC 29379
(864) 427-1200
Department of Social Services
105 West Pinckney St, Union, SC 29379
(864) 429-1650
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Union County Public Health (DHEC) – Union, SC
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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