You need to check out this hidden gem first to learn more about your community and the history of…read morethe area! Be sure to check for the open hours, or if planning well in advance the will open for you if they have staff available Then go back multiple time with family and friends to see more and more! The volunteer staff is different on every visit we have had---but they are such a wealth of knowledge, some on more recent events and others going back many generations!. Please consider a visit

Located next to the Riverwalk YMCA, this marker points out the history of the massive plant that…read moreused to be on this site. On the front, it reads, "This plant, once called "a miracle of modern technology," produced synthetic yarn and fibers for clothing, synthetic flakes for making plastic household and industrial goods, and other synthetics from 1948 to 2005. The Celanese Corporation of America chose this 1,100-acre site on the Catawba River for its capacity of 100 million gallons of water a day. The plant began operations in 1948." And on the reverse, "The plant had its own power plant, water purification and treatment plants, and chemical recycling. It was long among the largest employers in York Co., with an average of 1,600 and a peak of 2,300. Its work force was unionized, unlike most S.C. industries. At one time this plant was one of the largest producers of synthetic yarn in the U.S. As global demand for its products slowed, Celanese Celriver closed in 2005." The marker was erected in 2015 by the Culture & Heritage Museums of York County. All that remains of the plant is the water tower that now stands over the Riverwalk mixed use development. There is parking here. [Review 88 of 2025 - 1245 in South Carolina - 23656 overall]

I've seen all sorts of fake "George Washington slept here" signs but this one on Rock Hill Highway…read moreis legit! The marker reads, "Near this site was the home of Major Robert Crawford, where President George Washington spent his last night in South Carolina on his Southern tour, May 27, 1791. Here Washington was met by a delegation of the Chiefs of the Catawba Nation, who set forth their apprehensions that attempts would be made to deprive them of their land." It was erected in 1970 by the Waxhaw Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It is marker number 29-12. The marker is on the side of the road and there is not much opportunity to pull over safely but I managed it. [Review 19356 overall - 930 in South Carolina - 326 of 2023.]

South Carolina is part of the South and as happened in much of the South during the 1960's, there…read morewas a fight for civil rights and equality for black citizens. One of those fights happened here in Rock Hill and this marker remembers the circumstances. On one side, "This building, built in 1901, was occupied by McCrory's Five & Dime from 1937 to 1997. On February 12, 1960, black students from Friendship Jr. College in Rock Hill were denied service at the McCrory's lunch counter but refused to leave. Their "sit-in" was one of the first of many calling attention to segregated public places in downtown Rock Hill. These protests lasted for more than a year." On the other side, "Many Rock Hill protesters were arrested, convicted, and fined. On January 31, 1961, ten students from Friendship Jr. College were arrested when they refused to leave McCrory's. Nine would not pay their fines and became the first Civil Rights sit-in protesters in the nation to serve jail time. This new "Jail No Bail" strategy by "the Friendship Nine" was soon adopted as the model strategy for the Freedom Rides of 1961." The marker was erected in 2007 by the Culture and Heritage Museums of York County and the City of Rock Hill. McCrory Stores was a chain of stores based in York, Pennsylvania (no relation to York County, South Carolina). Founded in 1882, it was acquired by Ames Stores in 1989. Ames became defunct in 2002. [Review 13022 overall, 339 of 2020.]

With Fishing Creek winding nearby as it feeds into Fishing Creek Lake, this marker points out a…read moresignificant Revolutionary War skirmish that took place. The marker is along US-21 and there is room to stop to read it. The marker reads, "At this site on August 18, 1780 General Thomas Sumter camped with captured booty and 800 men. He was surprised and defeated by Lt. Col. Tarleton and 160 soldiers. The disaster followed only two days General Gate's defeat by Lord Cornwallis at Camden. The patriots lost 150 men killed and many captured, but Sumter escaped and soon rallied another large force." It is marker number 12-3 and it was erected in 1974 by the Chester County Historical Society. Sumter's men had halted to rest after days of marching in brutal summer heat, unaware that Tarleton had crossed the Catawba River and was closing in on their position. Tarleton launched a surprise attack while the Americans were scattered, many bathing, sleeping, or tending to captured supplies, and the result was a swift and overwhelming British victory. More than half of Sumter's force was killed or captured, though Sumter himself narrowly escaped the chaos. The defeat temporarily halted his campaign against British outposts and further strengthened Tarleton's reputation as Cornwallis's most aggressive field commander. [Review 185 of 2026 - 1380 in South Carolina - 25374 overall]

This marker is located along Charlotte Ave near the Gateway Park. The marker points out the nearby…read morebirthplace of an important jurist. The marker reads, "John J. Parker, 1885-1958. Chief judge, United States Fourth Circuit, 1931-58; alternate member, Nuremberg tribunal, 1945-46. He was born one block southeast." Online, there is more information. "John Johnston Parker, jurist, was born in Monroe to John and Frances Parker. His brother Samuel I. Parker was a decorated hero of World War I. At the University of North Carolina (B.A., 1907; law degree, 1908), young Parker was a student government leader and prize-winning orator. After one year of practice in Greensboro, he returned to his hometown where he married Maria Moffitt in 1910. In that same year, at age twenty-four, Republican Parker ran for a U.S. House seat." "In 1925 Parker was appointed judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, comprising North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. During his thirty-two years as an appellate judge, Parker heard over 4,000 arguments and wrote opinions in approximately 1,500 cases." "In 1945, Parker was named the alternate judge for the United States in the Nuremberg war crimes trials. (Each of four nations--the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union--sent a judge, an alternate, and a prosecutor.) Parker believed that his role at Nuremberg was to insure that the trial was conducted in a manner acceptable to members of the American bar." "Judge Parker was long active in professional organizations. In addition, he was the recipient of several honorary degrees, a UNC trustee from 1921 to 1958, and a member of state constitutional conventions in 1931 and 1958. A devout Episcopalian, he was chairman of Billy Graham's 1957 Charlotte Crusade. At his death he was the senior appellate judge in the nation. He is buried in Charlotte." [Review 15448 overall, 952 of 2021, number 2995 in North Carolina.]

This marker stands just over the railroad tracks near the Fort Mill Historic District and provides…read moremuch context of the founding and initial settlement of the city. Fort Mill is the first city south of Charlotte, North Carolina. The front of the marker reads, "Fort Mill was established on land received in 1787 by Thomas Spratt, one of the first settlers in this area. According to local tradition, the 4,535-acre tract in Catawba Indian territory was given Spratt by the Catawbas who were grateful for his assistance in routing the Shawnees from their lands." The reverse of the marker reads, "Fort Mill is said to have taken its name from Webb's Grist Mill and a Catawba Indian fort near here. The post office was established in 1811 and named Fort Mill in 1833. Fort Mill Mfg. Co. (now Springs Mills) began here in 1887. Area native Leroy Springs later became its president. By the time of his death in 1931, Springs was a nationally-known textile magnate." This is marker number 46-21 and it was erected in 1982 by the York County Historical Commission. Fort Mill is the seat of York County. There is parking here to stop and read both sides of the marker. [Review 50 of 2025 - 1239 in South Carolina - 23619 overall]

This well-preserved marker in downtown Rock Hill notes the nearby structure on one side and on the…read moreother, a local celebrity. "The Andrew Jackson Hotel, built in 1926, was funded with more than $250,000 raised by the citizens of Rock Hill. Designed b Charles Coker Wilson, it is a fine example of the Beaux Arts style and has been called one of the city's 'greatest triumphs.' In 1938-39 many stars of early country and gospel music, such as the Monroe Boys, Delmore Brothers and South Carolina native Arthur Smith, recorded hit songs for RCA in sessions here." On the other side, "The building also included the ROck Hill Chamber of Commerce before it closed as a hotel in 1970. Vernon Grant, director 1957-65, was a leading American illustrator from the 1930s to the 50s. Best known as the creator of Kellogg's "Snap! Crackle! Pop!" and Rock Hill's Glen the Frog, he illustrated thousands of ads and magazine covers. He married Elizabeth Fewell of Rock Hill in 1936. In 1947 Grant moved his family to York County, where he lived until his death on 1990." [Review 13017 overall, 334 of 2020.]