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.
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Here, a group of young women exercise in the "Out-Door Gymnasium" at Winthrop College in Rock Hill. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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Women played competitive team sports too, as illustrated by this lively basketball game between Winthrop College and Converse College in 1912. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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A mill village in York. Photo from the Works Progress Administration, 1930s. Courtesy of the South Caroliniana Library.
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Main Street of Rock Hill at night, 1950. Courtesy of the Winthrop University Archives.
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Rock Hill, like many Upcountry South Carolina towns, began as a railroad depot in 1852 on the Charlotte-Columbia Railroad. Incorporated in 1870, its real growth came from two influences: the influx of...
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A convertible stops at a gas station in Rock Hill in 1941 to "fill 'er up." By the end of the year, World War II gasoline rationing severely restricted automobile pleasure travel. Courtesy of the...
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The model in this 1928 advertising photograph prepares to step into an Anderson Automobile in front of the Winthrop College main building in Rock Hill, where the Rock Hill Buggy Company, manufacturer...
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This postcard view of a roadway outside of Rock Hill in 1913 is titled "The Saluda Speedway." Courtesy of the Howard G. Woody Postcard Collection.
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Winthrop college girls ride bicycles across campus in Rock Hill in 1965. Courtesy of the Winthrop University Archives.
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The Southern Railroad takes on a shipment of Anderson Automobiles from the platform in Rock Hill, where the Anderson was manufactured. The storage warehouse and loading platforms are shown in this...