“An important 19th century point of trade and travel on the Broad River.”
City Directories and History: This once thriving train stop featured stores and all the important aspects of having a thriving “whistle stop” community like thousands
of others where passengers were pick up and delivered, freight mailed and delivered, and mail sent and received. Unfortunately, only a few foundation and a lone chimney remain in 2013.

Postal Map from 1896, showing the locations of the P.O. sites in western Fairfield County. Courtesy of the Un. of N.C.
Also see Shivar Springs Bottling Company for additional data on the site.
Shelton, above Lyles Ford and below Moses Ashford’s Ferry, was named for the Shelton family. David Shelton, an early settler in the area, left considerable property to his children on both sides of the Broad River. Much of his Fairfield property went to his sons, William and Thomas. By 1819, William Shelton was operating a store approximately two miles east of the Broad River near the location of Shelton’s Turn Out on Elkins 1876 map of the county. In 1824, Thomas Shelton, along with John Thomas and Ainsley Hall received a charter for a ferry across Broad River one mile above the mouth of Tyger River, west of William Shelton’s store. Thomas Shelton must have operated the ferry as it soon became known as Shelton’s Ferry. By 1854, Shelton Ferry was the last stop on the Spartanburg and Union Railroad before crossing over the Broad River near the ferry site to Union District. Shortly thereafter, the name of the community was shortened to Shelton. By 1883, in addition to the railroad station, Shelton had a post office and three stores. Today Shelton no longer exists, a few houses, a microwave station and a small store are located east of the old village site at the crossroads of secondary roads 99 and 33.
***Historian, Harvey S. Teal’s S.C. Post Office History, 1989 states: the “Shelton Post Office, started in 1856 operated through the Civil War and perhaps longer. James F.V. Legg, Postmaster.”
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R&R HISTORY LINK: William Kelly of Union County, S.C. delivered and received commodities from Shelton’s landing on the Broad. See Kelly’s Collection – Section I
Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.
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