How often have I ridden down a rural road looking for interesting sites, only to discover that the ones I loved seeing twenty years ago are gone. What has happened to our rural heritage in such a short time? Not only are the country stores quickly disappearing but tenant houses and cotton gins as well. It is sad for me to think whole communities have vanished due to the demise of cotton, textiles, or their proximity to interstate travel. One upcountry S.C. town has nearly ceased to have any employment or commercial development because the county has no access to modern transportation. It reminds me of the 19th-century stories of towns not wanting the dirty “modern” railroad, only to recognize a decade later that all the commerce was going elsewhere.
Though Rock Hill is a relative newcomer to upcountry S.C., it attracted young men following the Civil War who were hungry for success, as did Greenville and other vibrant New South cities. What surprises researchers is just what attracted these young men and, in the case of Rock Hill, it seems a vast majority came from Lancaster and Chester counties. Old Rock Hill was made up of mostly those from these two areas along with a dusting of very interesting individuals such as Arnold Friedheim, a Jewish peddler who grew to become one of the region’s most successful merchants.
Did these young entrepreneurs simply want to prove their worth, following the war, or would they have been successful without the economic hardships of it? What brought men such as Mr. Ivey to Rock Hill with his new idea of paying higher prices for cotton than surrounding counties, thus drawing business to the town and resulting in prosperity. Or the ability of the Roddey family to build one of the largest Equitable Insurance agencies in the USA? There were success stories by the dozens, all primarily the result of young talented men from adjacent counties flocking to make Rock Hill a successful post-war boom town. Was this an isolated situation or did other towns such as Greenville, Augusta, and perhaps Greensboro also have similar stories. Nevertheless, the departure of so much talent had to affect the economic well being of hundreds of rural communities, which in many cases never recovered.
Do you have a story to share? If so please send your remarks to R&R.