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History · Cordova

Cordova’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Cordova. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Cordova is a town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Cordova had a population of 136. Despite its small size, Cordova is home to both a high school and primary school, a fire department, and a single daycare. At the heart of Cordova is the town hall, which houses community events, fundraisers, and birthday parties throughout the year.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 169 to 136 (-20%). Half of its homes were built before 1959.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Cordova yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Cordova’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cordova’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Cordova

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Dennis SheddDennis SheddPolitics & Law
By decade

Cordova, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Cordova is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Cordova has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Williams Chapel A.M.E. Church in Orangeburg, 5 miles away.

Cordova and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Cordova. Tap a dot.
Williams Chapel A.M.E. ChurchF. H. W. Briggman HouseOrangeburg City CemeteryDixie Library BuildingOrangeburg County Fair Main Exhibit BuildingOrangeburg County Jail

Closest to Cordova

Williams Chapel A.M.E. ChurchOrangeburg · Gothic Revival5miF. H. W. Briggman HouseOrangeburg · Building5miOrangeburg City CemeteryOrangeburg · Site5miDixie Library BuildingOrangeburg · Romanesque Revival5miOrangeburg County Fair Main Exhibit BuildingOrangeburg · Building5.1mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Williams Chapel A.M.E. Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Cordova?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Cordova’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Orangeburg📜 Cope📜 Rowesville📜 Bamberg
The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Cordova, SCView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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