York

York County lies within the Olde English region of South Carolina. The county and its seat are named in honor of York County, Pennsylvania.

York County lies within the Olde English region of South Carolina. The county and its seat are named in honor of York County, Pennsylvania.

Catawba Indians initially inhabited the region before they ceded control of the area to the United States via treaty in 1763. After this treaty was signed, a great number of Scotch-Irish from both Pennsylvania and the South Carolina Lowcountry began to settle the area.

The county was founded in 1785 within the Camden District. It later belonged to the Pinckney District before becoming its own district. During the Revolutionary War, the battles of Williamson’s Plantation and King’s Mountain took place here.

Initially, the economy relied on small cotton farms. However, over time the economy transitioned from cotton farming to cotton processing and became dependent on the textile industry.

John R. Schorb | History of SC Slide Collection
John R. Schorb | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 127

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John R. Schorb (1818-1908) was an early photographer in South Carolina, practicing first as a daguerreotypist, and later using wet and dry plate photographic techniques, in Winnsboro and Yorkville...
Carolina Indians | Palmetto Special

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The lesson consists of the host and three students visiting Keowee-Toxaway State Park in Pickens County. The story of the Cherokee is told there through drawings and artifacts in a series of display...
A Segregated Military | Palmetto Scene

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B.S. Plair of Rock Hill, South Carolina, served for the Montford Point Marines in 1945, until he was honorably discharged in 1946. The Montford Point Marines were based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina...
Friendship Nine Member Talks About Jail, No Bail

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The Friendship Nine consisted of students from Friendship Junior College. These students are best known for their historic one-mile walk from Friendship Junior College to McCrory’s Variety Store on...
Meet the Freedom Walkway Artists

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On January 31, 1961, civil rights history was made in South Carolina. African American students from Friendship Junior College walked a mile to stage a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter on Main...
Dori Sanders: Clover | Periscope
Dori Sanders: Clover | Periscope
Episode 12

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The setting for her first book, Clover, is a peach farm like the one Dori Sanders grew up on. Clover was published in 1990 and immediately became a best-seller. In the story, Clover is a 10-year-old...
Dori Sanders, Author | Periscope
Dori Sanders, Author | Periscope
Episode 11

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Dori Sanders' book Clover has been translated into five different languages and made into a Disney film. The story is set in the countryside of South Carolina, and told through the eyes of a 10-year...
Martha Bratton Sends Watt with Message
Martha Bratton Sends Watt with Message
Episode 3

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In the community of Brattonsville, Martha Bratton sent a message to warn her husband, Colonel William Bratton, that Captain Christian Huck was on his way. Bratton was on the other side of the Catawba...