SEPTEMBER, 1959 ^1 PAGE
CONGRESS STREET — Running north and
soulh is the town's main thoroughfare, built
along the original coach line between Charlotte,
EMPLOYEES' HOMETOWN
N. C. and Augusta, Ga. Crossing Congress is
Liberty street, part of the old coach line from
Camden, West.
York: A City
Of Traditional Charm
A town of rare and dis
tinctive beauty,” says
Hammond’s H a n d-
book of South Carolina.
“An excellent example of a
combination of the Old and
the New South,” is a descrip
tion by National Geographic
Magazine.
“The Charleston of the Up
Country,” people hereabouts
call it.
The county seat of York in
north central South Carolina
is all this—and much more.
This employees’ hometown has
watched the parade of America’s
history for two csnturies. The
battles of Kings Mountain and
Huck’s Defeat were both fought
a short distance away. Patriot
leaders like Cornwallis, Sumter,
Morgan and others passed
through Fergus’ Crossroads—the
town’s name during the Revolu
tionary era.
Confederate president Jeff
Davis and his cabinet visited
here near the end of the Civil
War. Thomas Dixon’s novel,
“The Clansmen'’, and the classic
movie from it, “The Birth of a
Nation”, had their setting in
Several hundred employees
commute to their work at Fire
stone in Gastonia, from outside
communities in both Carolinas.
Of Ihese dozens of hometowns,
som3 are of such significance as
to d3serve feature stories in ths
plant nswspaper. This article is
lliird in a series.
York during Reconstruction
Days.
Settled by Pennsylvanians
York County was formed from
the Old Camden District of 1785.
The area was settled by people
from York, Pa., and the town
name, Yorkville, honored the
city in the Keystone State.
Settlers were members of the
House of York in England, and
to this day, the town is known
as “The White Rose City”.
Yorkville was incorporated in
1849 and soon became a main
stopover on the coach roads from
Charlotte to Augusta, and from
Camden, West.
In 1916 the town’s name was
changed to York, Its weekly
newspaper, The Yorkville En
quirer, is a reminder of that
period in the town’s history.
Marks of the New South
York’s city government is the
mayor-council type, administer
ing progressive leadership in a
community of balanced living.
Population, including two new
residential areas and one textile
village, stands ft around 6,000.
Close to 3,000 are enrolled in
the three public schools.
Last year, York was selected
by Washington University, St.
Louis, to represent the entire
South through two-hour edu
cational programs on television.
Sponsored by a Ford Foundation
grant, the programs allowed
York to represent the cultural
and historical values of the
South. The series, titled “Ameri
can Values”, ranged from inter
views with dignitaries in Wash
ington to a study of the Navajo
Indians in the Southwest.
Other features which enhance
the attractiveness of this em
ployees’ town are a 34-bed hos
pital, six playgrounds operated
year-round, a municipal swim
ming pool, churches of all major
—More on Page 7
HISTORIC BUILDINGS—At least a dozen fine old houses dat
ing to the Revolutionary and Civil War periods help York to live
up to its title "Charleston of the Up Country." This is the Congress
street side of the Latta Mansion, built in 1799. Bricks originally
served as ship ballasts from England, were hauled by oxcart from
Charleston.
STOREHOUSE OF THE PAST—Alden Haas of Twisting (syn
thetics). Mrs. Haas and children Norita and Ronnie visit in War
Memorial Museum, temporarily housed at Kings Mountain avenue
and Wright street. The Haas family studies a display of equipment
together with some of the work of John R. Schorb, a York resident
considered to be America's first commercial photographer. Exhibit
includes a magazine article of Schorb's time, describing him as the
"Genius with the Magic Box."
1
FARM RELIC—The Robert Wallace children,
shown with a horse-drawn hayrake which was
retired from the meadow several years ago. Chil
dren are, from left; Marjorie, Jerry, Lena, and
Connie.
RESIDENT—Finley P. Williams is a life-long
resident of York. The Warehouse fork-truck op
erator of five years employment says of his home
town, "It's unhurried living, with plenty of
friendly folks."
RURAL LIFE—Shop employee Robert P. Wallace lives on
Route 1, York, in a house with its original portion known to be at
least 150 years old. He raises dogs as a hobby, shares beagle hounds
with rabbit-hunting friends.