RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of South Carolina >> Chesterfield County >> Big Springs >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in Big Springs, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Big Springs and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • Astronomy & Satellites ...
    • Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
    • To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Big Springs:
    • 34.420987, -80.309238
    • Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Big Springs
  • Bird Watching ...
    • We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
    • The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Chesterfield County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Chesterfield County
    • Since Big Springs is near Kershaw County and also Darlington County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Kershaw County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Darlington County
  • Waymarking ...
    • Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for Big Springs

Communities Also Named Big Springs ...

We found 22 communities that are also named Big Springs.

Within South Carolina, the name Big Springs is unique.

Beyond South Carolina, we know of 22 communities that are located in the United States.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Bibb County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of Big Springs [Bibb County].
      • Randolph County
      • This Big Springs is located in Randolph County and lies 297 miles [478 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Randolph County community of Big Springs.
    • Arizona
      • Coconino County
      • This Big Springs is located in Coconino County and lies 1,798 miles [2,893.6 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Coconino County community of Big Springs.
    • Arkansas
      • Stone County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of Big Springs [Stone County].
    • California
      • Siskiyou County
      • This Big Springs is located in Siskiyou County and lies 2,319 miles [3,732.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Siskiyou County community of Big Springs.
    • Georgia
      • Troup County
      • This Big Springs is located in Troup County and lies 281 miles [452.2 km]<2> to the west southwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Troup County community of Big Springs.
    • Idaho
      • Fremont County
      • This Big Springs is located in Fremont County and lies 1,776 miles [2,858.2 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fremont County community of Big Springs.
    • Indiana
      • Boone County
      • This Big Springs is located in Boone County and lies 508 miles [817.5 km]<2> to the northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Boone County community of Big Springs.
    • Kansas
      • Douglas County
      • This Big Springs is located in Douglas County and lies 896 miles [1,442 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Douglas County community of Big Springs.
    • Mississippi
      • Clay County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Mississippi community of Big Springs [Clay County].
    • Nebraska
      • Deuel County
      • This Big Springs is located in Deuel County and lies 1,269 miles [2,042.3 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Deuel County community of Big Springs.
    • New Jersey
      • Sussex County
      • This Big Springs is located in Sussex County and lies 557 miles [896.4 km]<2> to the north northeast of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sussex County community of Big Springs.
    • Ohio
      • Logan County
      • This Big Springs is located in Logan County and lies 457 miles [735.5 km]<2> to the north northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Logan County community of Big Springs.
    • South Dakota
      • Union County
      • This Big Springs is located in Union County and lies 1,054 miles [1,696.2 km]<2> to the northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Union County community of Big Springs.
    • Tennessee
      • Blount County
      • This Big Springs is located in Blount County and lies 232 miles [373.4 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Blount County community of Big Springs.
      • Dickson County
      • This Big Springs is located in Dickson County and lies 413 miles [664.7 km] to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dickson County community of Big Springs.
      • Hancock County
      • This Big Springs is located in Hancock County and lies 209 miles [336.4 km] to the northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hancock County community of Big Springs.
      • Madison County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Tennessee community of Big Springs [Madison County].
      • Overton County
      • This Big Springs is located in Overton County and lies 311 miles [500.5 km] to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Overton County community of Big Springs.
      • Rutherford County
      • This Big Springs is located in Rutherford County and lies 348 miles [560.1 km] to the west northwest of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rutherford County community of Big Springs.
    • Texas
      • Rusk County
      • This Big Springs is located in Rusk County and lies 861 miles [1,385.6 km]<2> to the west of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rusk County community of Big Springs.
    • West Virginia
      • Calhoun County
      • This Big Springs is located in Calhoun County and lies 317 miles [510.2 km]<2> to the north of the Big Springs that is located in Chesterfield County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Calhoun County community of Big Springs.

Curious and Interesting Names Near Big Springs ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

  • Clyde
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Clyde is located in Darlington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
  • Green Hill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Green Hill is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
  • Junction ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Junction is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction
  • Kellytown
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Kellytown is located in Darlington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellytown
  • Pine Ridge
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Pine Ridge is located in Darlington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
  • Tabernacle ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Tabernacle is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabernacle
  • Tillers Ferry
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Tillers Ferry is located in Kershaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillers Ferry
  • Tillersville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Tillersville is located in Kershaw County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tillersville

How Far From Big Springs to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Big Springs to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Big Springs and extending to:

  • Chesterfield, which is the Seat of Chesterfield County, lies 25 miles [40.2 km]<2> to the north northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Big Springs to Chesterfield, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just about two full days to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take most of a day.
  • Columbia, which is the State Capital of South Carolina, lies 50 miles [80.5 km] to the southwest (SW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than an hour, a buggy would take most of two days and walking would take most of three days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 358 miles [576.1 km] to the north northeast (NNE). Driving would take five to six hours, a buggy would take 14 days and walking would take 21 days.
  • The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,233 miles [10,031 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,926 miles [11,146.3 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,808 miles [7,737.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>'

Footnotes ...

<1>If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer.

Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Rock Creek to see Pete ... Rock Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name.

Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time.

Also keep in mind that Big Springs could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Big Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day.
<4>The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Big Springs to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.4210, Longitude: -80.3092       In this case, the coordinates for Big Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.914 degrees.
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.083 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 307.537 degrees.