Francis Rapley Owings House

Front: Owings is named for Francis Rapley Owings (1840-1920), who lived in this house after the Civil War. His ancestor Richard Owings III had settled 2 mi. W in 1757. Francis R. Owings, a farmer and merchant, built the general store across the road in 1873. It also housed the town’s first post office. Reverse: The town was originally named Rapley since there was already one in S.C. named Owings. After Francis Rapley Owings donated the land and lumber for a depot here, it was renamed Owings Station. Owings also helped found the Bank of Owings and served as its vice president. The bank, built in 1914, is one of several commercial buildings here built with locally-made bricks.