This two-sided marker is not far from the Rock Hill Police Department and a branch of the York…read moreCounty Library. Of course, the railroad line is also nearby. On the front side, it reads "Rock Hill Depots. The first of six railroad depots was built here in 1851 on the Charlotte & S.C. RR, after the citizens of Ebenezer objected to a new railroad yard proposed there. The town that grew up here was named Rock Hill after the flint hill found when the railroad bed was excavated. The six depots built here between 1851 and 1912 served passengers and freight for a combined 122 years. The two-story brick depot built nearby in 1912 was a local landmark until it was torn down in 1973." On the back side, "Rock Hill Street Railway. From 1891 to 1918 a street railway connected Railroad Ave., the depots, Main St., and Winthrop College. Nicknamed "Rock Hill Electric Railway," it was pulled by mules named "Lec" and "Tric" for 21 years, then ran on battery power. Its rails were salvaged during World War II. Railroad Ave. was renamed Trade St. by 1920, as the largest retail center in the area. Trade St. was all but eliminated by urban renewal in 1973. Erected by the Culture & Heritage Museums of York County and the City of Rock Hill, 2008." The markers are in great condition and are highly legible. [Review 14064 overall, 1386 of 2020, number 679 in South Carolina.]

At the corner of Caldwell Street and East Main Street in downtown Rock Hill, this building is hard…read moreto miss. As is the historic marker located in front. On the one side, it reads "This building was described as "handsome in every respect" when it opened in 1932. It replaced a 1906 post office and housed a new district court and federal offices. It served as a post office until 1986 and provided offices and headquarters for several U.S. Congressmen, including Thomas S. Gettys 1965-75. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, it was renamed in honor of Gettys in 1997." On the other side, "This six-story structure was Rock Hill's first high-rise office building. Built in 1924-25, it opened in 1926 with Citizens Bank & Trust on the 1st floor. The bank closed in 1927. Rock Hill National Bank opened on the 1st floor in 1941 and remained here until 1976. WRHI Radio, one of S.C.'s earliest stations, signed-on with studios on the 2nd floor in 1944 and broadcast from here until 1977. Civil defense used an observation deck on the roof during World War II. [Erected by the Culture & Heritage Museums of York County and the City of Rick Hill, 2007." The building is no longer a post office but it remains as a solid and imposing structure in Rock Hill's skyline. [Review 13032 overall, 349 of 2020.]

The original trestle here was completed in 1852 by the Charlotte & South Carolina Railroad on site…read moreof ancient crossing known as the Nation Ford. Burning by Federals on April 19, 1865 touched off sharp battle with Southern forces which resulted in Union retreat. The trestle was rebuilt after the war and they was washed away by the flood on July 17, 1916; and was then rebuilt in the form we see today. This is also the traditional site of the Battle of Liberty Hill, the last conflict between Catawba and Cherokee Indians. Sumter camped here July, 1780. Cornwallis here 1780. President Jefferson Davis crossed April 27, 1865, enroute west to reorganize the Confederacy. It's a beautiful and imposing trestle and worth the trip to see. [Review 13038 overall, 355 of 2020.]

Located on the grounds of the old Union County Courthouse, this 40 foot tall granite obelisk is a…read morememorial to the Confederate soldiers from Union County. Atop the three-tier granite foundation rests the base of the obelisk. The tall shaft is topped with a polished sphere. All four sides of the base are inscribed. The east face of the base features a Confederate flag, while the east and west faces depict crossed rifles and crossed cavalry sabers, respectively. The monument was installed in 1910 by the Monroe Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. There has been some discussion about removing it and at this time, it is surrounded by chain link fence to prevent damage or vandalism. I suspect that it will be removed at some point soon so stop by while you still can. [Review 15439 overall, 943 of 2021, number 2986 in North Carolina.]

Located on a high pole just outside the main entrance to the large hospital, this marker points out…read morethe World War II history of the area. It reads, "Camp Sutton. World War II army camp, trained 13,000 engineers. Named for R.C.A.F. pilot Frank Sutton of Monroe, killed December 7, 1941. Camp was here." Online, there is more information. " Soon after the United States entered World War II in December 1941, North Carolina assumed a prominent role in preparing the country's armed forces for duty overseas. Along with Camp Butner, Camp Davis, and Fort Bragg, Camp Sutton was among the largest military training facilities in North Carolina (and the nation) during the war." "Camp Sutton was organized as a training site for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and opened as a temporary "tent" camp in the spring of 1942. The base covered 2,296 acres about three miles east of Monroe in Union County. Located on U.S. Highway 74, Sutton was naturally divided into two halves by Richardson's Creek, and a railroad line also ran through the camp." "The installation was named in honor of Frank H. Sutton, a Monroe native who was killed over Libya in 1941 while serving as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force." "Camp Sutton was deactivated in January 1945, but the last of the German POWs were not shipped out until the spring of 1946 (nearly a year after the war ended). After the war, buildings on the property housed facilities used to treat polio patients." [Review 15430 overall, 934 of 2021, number 2978 in North Carolina.]

This marker is at the corner of Crest St and Charlotte Ave, in front of the Glencairn Garden. It…read morerecalls the years between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. It does not appear in the state's marker database. It reads, "Ante-Bellum Landowners. In the 1840's, the Upper Landsford Road in this section traversed the farms or plantations of these early citizens of the Catawba Indian land in Eastern York District: (east to west) John Steele, Mrs. Cynthia Sturgis Neely, James Miller, George P. White, James Moore, Robert Miller, Stephen McCorkle, and Nathan Kimbrell. In Ebenezer, it passed through the lands of Dr. John Johnson, William Barron, Randolph Withers and Colonel Edward Avery. Erected by Catawba Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1980." I'm assuming that the Upper Landsford Road is now Charlotte Avenue but I don't know for sure. There is an Ebenezer about 2.5 miles to the northwest. [Review 14109 overall, 1431 of 2020, number 680 in South Carolina.]

In the modern age, Charlotte is a banking capital. Some say that after New York and San Francisco,…read morethe Queen City is the third biggest financial city in the United States. So it's interesting to learn that this isn't a new phenomenon and has older origins. The marker reads, "Branch U.S. Mint. Stood a few feet southwest. Operated 1837-61, 1867-1913. Razed, 1933, and rebuilt as art museum three miles east." This is marker number L-5 and it was erected in 1969 by the North Carolina Archives and Highway Departments. The 1799 discovery of a massive gold nugget in Cabarrus County sparked America's first gold rush, positioning North Carolina and especially Charlotte as a hub of gold production. With local mines like Barringer and Gold Hill fueling the economy, Charlotte secured a branch of the U.S. Mint in 1837, designed by William Strickland in the austere yet refined Federal style. The mint produced gold coins until the Civil War, when it was repurposed by the Confederacy, and later served as a U.S. Assay Office until 1913. Threatened by demolition, the building was saved and relocated to Eastover in the 1930s through the efforts of Mary Myers Dwelle and local citizens. [Review 1432 of 2025 - 4503 in North Carolina - 24983 overall]

South Carolina's historical marker 46-45 is located near the intersection of Old Nation Road and…read moreUS-21 (Business), in the shade of the trees near the fence. It's easy to miss. It points out some of the Antebellum and Civil War history of this area and the nearby home. The front reads, "This house was built ca. 1806 for planter John Springs III (1782-1853), who served in the S.C. House 1828-34 and was a partner in several banks, railroads, and textile mills before the Civil War. His son Andrew Baxter Springs (1819-1886) enlarged and remodeled this house in the 1850s. He served in the S.C. House 1852-56 and was also a delegate to the Secession Convention." And the reverse, "On April 26, 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his Cabinet, making their way south from Richmond, Va., stopped here. Davis and part of his party spent the night here at the insistence of young ladies who greeted them with flowers. Springfield, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, has been headquarters of Leroy Springs & Company since 1987." The marker is in the grass and there is room to stop and read it. It was erected in 2010 by Leroy Springs and Company, Inc. [Review 520 of 2025 - 1288 in South Carolina - 24081 overall]