Oconee Station State Historic Site preserves a layered piece of northwestern South Carolina’s frontier past. At its center is Oconee Station, a blockhouse established in 1792 as a defensive post guarding an exposed frontier, though its military use ended when troops were removed in 1799. The site also includes the William Richards House, built in the early 19th century as a residence and trading post, showing the area’s transition from frontier defense to settlement and commerce. The station and house were documented in 1960 for the Historic American Buildings Survey, and the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.