Our Community

In 1845 a group was created to connect the Piedmont region of South Carolina by rail to the existing rail system which then ran from Columbia to Charleston. The expanded rail line ran through what was to become Belton, with a spur line which ran to the nearby town of Anderson. Because of the population explosion that occurred by the time the railroad had been completed in 1853, the state incorporated the town in 1855, with the boundaries being located within a half mile radius from the new railroad depot.

The city was given the name of Belton by Josephine Brown, daughter of the owner of most land surrounding the railroad junction. She chose the name after the first president of the C and G Railroad from Newberry, John Belton O'Neal.^[4]

The city prospered not only due to the railroad junction, but also because of the areas cotton crop, which lead to the establishment of cotton mills.

In 1908, a municipal water system was established. A 155 feet (47.24 meters) concrete tower with a 165,000 gallon capacity was built. Known as the Belton Standpipe, the tower is still in use today. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 5, 1987^[5]. The standpipe was also the inspiration for the yearly Belton Standpipe Festival, originally held in 1987 as a fund raising event.