Ferguson — a ghost town in Orangeburg County, South Carolina — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 18.0 km (11.2 mi) NE of Holly Hill.
Ferguson is a ghost town, a former lumber-mill settlement, in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. It was a company town owned by Northern lumbermen Francis Beidler and Benjamin F. Ferguson, both of Chicago. The co-CEOs founded the Santee River Cypress Lumber Company in 1881 for the purpose of harvesting old-growth timber from blackwater river wetlands in central South Carolina. The firm, which controlled 165,000 acres (67,000 ha) of land, concentrated its efforts on bald cypress timber.From the Wikipedia article “Ferguson, South Carolina”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ferguson the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:26 AM | 90° E | 7:33 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:13 AM | 61° ENE | 8:35 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 118° ESE | 5:18 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 56m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:59 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 7:08 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:54 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:54 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 5:55 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 57m |
Local time (America/New York), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Ferguson, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:02 AM – 6:02 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 3.2 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 12:11 AM – 4:41 AM | 4.5 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:16 PM – 4:26 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:13 PM – 3:03 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:39 PM – 12:59 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 10:53 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:11 PM – 9:01 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.65 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (56%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 81 | 81 | 85 | 95 | 103 | 106 | 106 | 107 | 101 | 101 | 86 | 81 |
| Low °F | 13 | 20 | 22 | 29 | 44 | 55 | 61 | 58 | 49 | 31 | 21 | 12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.7 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this ghost town
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Ferguson, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ferguson?
What time is golden hour at Ferguson?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ferguson?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ferguson?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ferguson?
How far is Ferguson from Holly Hill?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.