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100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
1926-1950
East: Hendersonville, NC
West: Newberry, SC
1950-present
East: Hendersonville, NC
West: Goose Creek, SC
Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 232 miles for US 176... however, that included the mileage of US 176's associated business route. According to the state subtotals on AASHTO's 1989 spreadsheet, mainline US 176's actual end-to-end total at the time was 229 miles. Possibly there have been some reroutings since then, because our own 2020 measurement yielded 237.2 miles. Want historic mileages? Our handy reference book includes the mileages that were published in all 13 of AASHO/AASHTO's historic route logs (spanning the years 1927 to 1989).
Hendersonville
US 176 was among the original US routes commissioned in Nov. 1926, and its western terminus has been in Hendersonville since the beginning. Approaching downtown, initially the highway departed today's routing via the Old Spartanburg Road (which went north on Grove Street and then west on Barnwell Street). At Main Street, it is likely that US 176 continued north, overlapping with US 25 for two blocks and ending at the courthouse:
In 1932 US 64 was extended through Hendersonville, and historic photos (1937 and 1946) prove that US 176 was extended about six blocks north on Main to its junction with US 64. In this photo, US 176 ended at the signal ahead. US 64 ran along the cross street (7th Avenue, which did not become a one-way pair with 6th until the 1970s):
In about 1937, US 176 traffic was rerouted along New Spartanburg Road, which intersects Main about five blocks south of Barnwell. So at any time after that, US 176 could have been truncated to its current endpoint, but this did not actually happen until after 1946, and definitely before 1966, so I am estimating around 1954. This photo shows where US 176 ends: at its junction with Main (which was originally US 25), just south of where it route splits into one-way pairs downtown:
Sanderson, Oct. 2000
No "End" sign, and it is unclear why the northbound 25 sign said "Truck" -- no other US 25 signs in the area included a "Truck" tab. In addition to US 176, Spartanburg also carries Business 25, which continues to the north (right) on Main. At any rate, the "Truck" assembly was gone by 2017, and in fact no route signage whatsoever was posted heading that direction.
This shot was taken across from the west beginning of US 176 (from the shopping center parking lot visible in the previous photo):
Sanderson, Oct. 2000
(detail)
The cars at right were northbound on historic US 25 (now NC hwy. 225); US 176 begins by heading off into the distance at left along New Spartanburg Road. Business 25 is also ahead, as well as to the left. By 2017 the spanwire had been replaced, and a US 176 marker was posted on a signal mast arm instead.
This photo was looking south on Main; Business 25 continues to the left, and that is also the west beginning of US 176:
Younce, Aug. 2017
This shot was taken looking the opposite direction (north on Main). NC 225 shares a terminus with US 176, which begins to the left:
Younce, Aug. 2017
Newberry
The original east terminus of US 176 was in Newberry, a town it no longer even serves:
c. 1939, Rand McNally
Here we are looking west on Main Street, which initially carried US 76. At the crossroad (College Street) the US 176 designation began to the right:
Boyd, Apr. 2015 (linked to original)
Later US 76 was changed to follow its current bypass (Wilson Road), and then south via College (as shown on the previous map). But even then, it is likely that US 176 did not end at the junction of Wilson and College; instead it was probably overlapped with US 76, ending at the same intersection pictured above.
Goose Creek
In 1950, the US 176 designation was removed from those first eight miles heading out of Newberry, and US 176 was instead extended eastward along its current route, to its terminus at the junction with US 52 in Goose Creek. This photo was taken from southeastbound St. James Avenue; ahead is Goose Creek Boulevard, which serves as US 52; downtown Charleston is about 15 miles to the right:
Nitzman, May 2007
Turner, May 2023
This photo was taken looking north on Goose Creek; US 176 begins to the left on St. James...
Nitzman, May 2007
...although that assembly has been gone for many years, and ever since then there has been no signage referencing the turn onto US 176, which seems like a pretty big oversight.
These photos were taken from the opposite direction (south on Goose Creek); the east beginning of US 176 is to the right:
Nitzman, May 2007
Turner, May 2023
Research and/or image credits: Kevin Boyd; Alex Nitzman; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Charles Turner; Morgan Younce
Page originally created 2000;last updated Aug. 29, 2025.
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