York, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
York is a small city in York County
, South Carolina
, United States. The city of York is also the county seat
of York County. The population was approximately 6,985 at the 2000 census and the 2009 population estimate for the city. York is located approximately 27 miles southwest of Charlotte
and 13 miles west of Rock Hill
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²), of which 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.88%) is water.
and Virginia
. Of the three major groups settling Pennsylvania, the English
came first, then the Germans
, and then the Scots
. The county names of Lancaster
, Chester
and York
had been brought from England to Pennsylvania, and then on to South Carolina by the early settlers.
Prior to this, the first known inhabitants of York County were the Catawba
Indians.
The town of York was originally known as Fergus’s Crossroads for a tavern
, owned by two brothers, William and John Fergus, that was located at the intersection of the road from Rutherfordton
to Camden
and the road from Charlottesburg (Charlotte)
to Augusta
. When the county of York was established in 1785 the state statute required each county to erect a courthouse
and public buildings in the most convenient part of the county, with a tax levied to cover the cost of "building the court houses, prison
s, pillories, whipping posts and stocks
." Fergus’s Crossroads was near the geographic center of the newly formed county and was chosen for the site of the new county seat.
The town of Yorkville was established as the County seat in 1785. Situated between two Revolutionary battle sites, the Battle of Kings Mountain
and the Battle of Williamson's Plantation, York was the only county in South Carolina to remain undefeated during that war.
In 1823 there were 451 people living in Yorkville, 292 white and 159 black, with 80 houses in the town, eight stores, five taverns, one male academy and one female academy, and a printing office. The town could boast 52 mechanics, eight lawyers, two physicians and one clergyman.
Yorkville was officially incorporated on December 7, 1841. W.I. Clawson was the first mayor, and Stanhope Sadler, F.M. Galbraith, T.H. Simril and B. T. Wheeler were wardens. The population was about 800. Over the next two decades, before the outbreak of the American Civil War
, Yorkville's population swelled to 2,000. In 1860 a gas works was installed on West Liberty Street, below the old county jail; Yorkville was the first town in the Upcountry with gas lighting
.
In 1853 Lewis Grist bought his father's newspaper and changed the name to the Yorkville Enquirer, which was published weekly until 2006, when it was merged with the Clover Herald to form the Enquirer-Herald, a weekly newspaper covering western York County.
In 1915 the residents of the town voted to shorten its name to "York".
graduates, established the King's Mountain Military Academy. It was closed during the Civil War, during which Jenkins was killed, but Coward returned to Yorkville and reopened the school. The original buildings no longer stand, but it became the site of the Episcopal Church Home for Children, an orphanage located for many years in York, which is today a treatment center for emotionally disturbed children named York Place.
The First Presbyterian Church was designed in 1846 by Robert Walker, a noted architect from Charleston
, but construction wasn’t begun until several years later and wasn’t completed until after the Civil War. A gallery originally lined three sides of the sanctuary, part of it remains as a rear balcony, and the chancel
originally featured a single uplifted pulpit that was converted in 1949 to a divided chancel and choir loft. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and the American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Sites.
The present York County Courthouse was completed in 1914 and an annex was built in 1955, which completes the present structure, the fourth courthouse to occupy the site. The third courthouse, which was torn down in 1912 to make way for the present one, was designed by Robert Mills
, the architect of the Washington Monument
and the U.S. Treasury Building
, as well as many other courthouses in South Carolina. Most county court functions are conducted now at the Moss Justice Center, on the eastern edge of town.
In 1976, as a part of the National Bicentennial
, downtown York was designated a Historic District
on the National Register of Historic Places, one of the largest historic districts in the state, consisting of 340 acres (1.4 km²) and containing over 180 historic structures and landmarks.
of 2000, there were 6,985 people, 2,536 households, and 1,787 families residing in the city. The population density
was 887.6 people per square mile (342.7/km²). There were 2,766 housing units at an average density of 351.5 per square mile (135.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.43% White, 40.31% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 3.65% from other races
, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.01% of the population.
There were 2,536 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples
living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,564, and the median income for a family was $34,253. Males had a median income of $31,646 versus $20,290 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,218. About 17.2% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.
York County, South Carolina
York County is a county located in the north-central section of the U.S. state of South Carolina. According to the 2010 census, the county's population was 226,073. It is the second largest county in the Charlotte metropolitan area...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, United States. The city of York is also the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of York County. The population was approximately 6,985 at the 2000 census and the 2009 population estimate for the city. York is located approximately 27 miles southwest of Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
and 13 miles west of Rock Hill
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fourth-largest city in the state. It is also the third-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina. The population was 71,459 as of . Rock Hill has undergone rapid growth between...
.
Geography and climate
York is located at 34°59′41"N 81°14′22"W (34.994673, -81.239420).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²), of which 7.9 square miles (20.5 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.88%) is water.
History
The first European settlers came to York in the early 1750s, having migrated south from PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Of the three major groups settling Pennsylvania, the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
came first, then the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and then the Scots
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The county names of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
had been brought from England to Pennsylvania, and then on to South Carolina by the early settlers.
Prior to this, the first known inhabitants of York County were the Catawba
Catawba (tribe)
The Catawba are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans, known as the Catawba Indian Nation. They live in the Southeast United States, along the border between North and South Carolina near the city of Rock Hill...
Indians.
The town of York was originally known as Fergus’s Crossroads for a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
, owned by two brothers, William and John Fergus, that was located at the intersection of the road from Rutherfordton
Rutherfordton, North Carolina
Rutherfordton is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,131 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rutherford County.-Geography:Rutherfordton is located at ....
to Camden
Camden, South Carolina
Camden is the fourth oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and is also the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was an estimated 7,103 in 2009...
and the road from Charlottesburg (Charlotte)
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
to Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. When the county of York was established in 1785 the state statute required each county to erect a courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
and public buildings in the most convenient part of the county, with a tax levied to cover the cost of "building the court houses, prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s, pillories, whipping posts and stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
." Fergus’s Crossroads was near the geographic center of the newly formed county and was chosen for the site of the new county seat.
The town of Yorkville was established as the County seat in 1785. Situated between two Revolutionary battle sites, the Battle of Kings Mountain
Battle of Kings Mountain
The Battle of Kings Mountain was a decisive battle between the Patriot and Loyalist militias in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War...
and the Battle of Williamson's Plantation, York was the only county in South Carolina to remain undefeated during that war.
In 1823 there were 451 people living in Yorkville, 292 white and 159 black, with 80 houses in the town, eight stores, five taverns, one male academy and one female academy, and a printing office. The town could boast 52 mechanics, eight lawyers, two physicians and one clergyman.
Yorkville was officially incorporated on December 7, 1841. W.I. Clawson was the first mayor, and Stanhope Sadler, F.M. Galbraith, T.H. Simril and B. T. Wheeler were wardens. The population was about 800. Over the next two decades, before the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Yorkville's population swelled to 2,000. In 1860 a gas works was installed on West Liberty Street, below the old county jail; Yorkville was the first town in the Upcountry with gas lighting
Gas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
.
In 1853 Lewis Grist bought his father's newspaper and changed the name to the Yorkville Enquirer, which was published weekly until 2006, when it was merged with the Clover Herald to form the Enquirer-Herald, a weekly newspaper covering western York County.
In 1915 the residents of the town voted to shorten its name to "York".
Antebellum education
Private academies operated on and off during Yorkville's early years. In 1854 the Yorkville Female Academy was established on East Jefferson Street. The next year, Micah Jenkins and Asbury Coward, young CitadelThe Citadel (military college)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
graduates, established the King's Mountain Military Academy. It was closed during the Civil War, during which Jenkins was killed, but Coward returned to Yorkville and reopened the school. The original buildings no longer stand, but it became the site of the Episcopal Church Home for Children, an orphanage located for many years in York, which is today a treatment center for emotionally disturbed children named York Place.
Historic structures
The Rose Hotel was built in 1852, by Dr. E.A. Crenshaw and was referred to in the Lowcountry as one of the most palatial hotels in the Upcountry. Today it has been restored and completely renovated as apartments.The First Presbyterian Church was designed in 1846 by Robert Walker, a noted architect from Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, but construction wasn’t begun until several years later and wasn’t completed until after the Civil War. A gallery originally lined three sides of the sanctuary, part of it remains as a rear balcony, and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
originally featured a single uplifted pulpit that was converted in 1949 to a divided chancel and choir loft. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and the American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Sites.
The present York County Courthouse was completed in 1914 and an annex was built in 1955, which completes the present structure, the fourth courthouse to occupy the site. The third courthouse, which was torn down in 1912 to make way for the present one, was designed by Robert Mills
Robert Mills (architect)
Robert Mills , most famously known for designing the Washington Monument, is sometimes called the first native born American to become a professional architect, though Charles Bulfinch perhaps has a clearer claim to this honor...
, the architect of the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
and the U.S. Treasury Building
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
, as well as many other courthouses in South Carolina. Most county court functions are conducted now at the Moss Justice Center, on the eastern edge of town.
In 1976, as a part of the National Bicentennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
, downtown York was designated a Historic District
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
on the National Register of Historic Places, one of the largest historic districts in the state, consisting of 340 acres (1.4 km²) and containing over 180 historic structures and landmarks.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,985 people, 2,536 households, and 1,787 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 887.6 people per square mile (342.7/km²). There were 2,766 housing units at an average density of 351.5 per square mile (135.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.43% White, 40.31% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 3.65% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.01% of the population.
There were 2,536 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,564, and the median income for a family was $34,253. Males had a median income of $31,646 versus $20,290 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $14,218. About 17.2% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.