“R” is for Rock Hill (York County; 2020 population 74,157). Rock Hill began in 1852 as a depot and watering station on the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad—and it had a post office. In 1870, the settlement was incorporated. In the late nineteenth century, six textile mills began operation, the town made a successful bid to become the home of the Winthrop Normal and Industrial College, and two Black junior colleges (Friendship (1891) and Clinton (1894) opened. The expansion of the city’s industrial base to include the Lowenstein Corporation’s bleachery, fiber maker Celanese Corporation, and paper manufacturer Bowaters Carolina Corporation helped Rock Hill weather the departure of several textile plants. The city’s remarkable success led former Governor Carroll Campbell to proclaim: ‘Every city in this state should look to Rock Hill to see the formula for success in action.”
“R” is for Rock Hill
