Settled during the middle of the 18th century at the fork of the Broad and the Saluda Rivers, Newberry County was settled by immigrants who came from a mix of Scots-Irish, English, and German background. These immigrants had traveled from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina looking for new homes in the Cherokee hunting grounds. The Old Ninety Six Judicial District was formed in 1769 and lasted until 1785 when it was divided into six individual counties. Newberry was one of these counties and was officially established.
The county’s first settler is said to have been John Duncan, a Scottish man; and he is said to have settled on the creek that now bears his name in 1752. A lower fork of the county was settled by German settlers in 1744. Over the next decade many more Germans settled in that area and the area began to be known as Dutch Fork, from “Deutsch Volk” meaning “German Folk”. The English and Scot-Irish settlers from Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina primarily settled in the areas around the Enoree River, Little River and Bush River sections. During the 1760’s the Quakers settled along the Bush River making Newberry county one of the principal centers for Quakerism. Between 1802 and 1807 the Quakers were removed to Ohio due to their opposition to slavery. Since they were such a large group this dealt a large blow to the economy and community.
There were many other religious groups active in the county during the 18th century: the Pomaria area had three Lutheran churches, the northern part of the county had three Baptist and three Presbyterian churches, and there were two associate reformed churches on Kings and Cannons creeks and the Dunker’s on Palmetto Branch. The Methodist church did not emerge until right before 1800 and subsequently did not grow in the county until later.
The area was greatly affected by the Cherokee War, following the War the area fell prey to attacks from roaming outlaws. This continued until local groups of vigilantes, called the Regulators, began patrolling and bringing order to the back country in the 1760’s. A large portion of the active Regulators were from Newberry area. An opposition group to the Regulators called the “Moderators”, led to the end of the Regulators in 1769. This brought the much needed attention of the government in Charleston to the backcountry.
Like most of the Upcountry, involvement in the early part of the Revolution was largely irrelevant to the settlers of Newberry. These settlers had very little identity with the settlers on the coast that were urging separation from Britain. There were a number of loyalists in the area who refused to take the oath of allegiance to the partisan government in 1778 who immigrated to Florida and then to Nova Scotia.
What drove the local citizens to join the patriots cause were the outrages taken out on them by Tory leader Robert Cunningham and British officer Banastre Tarleton. Between 1779 and 1781 guerilla warfare took place all over the county causing three encounters: Williams Plantation in 1780 and then at Battle at Mudlick Creek (March 2, 1781), and Bush River in 1781.
After the introduction of the cotton gin in the late 18th century, the area experienced big changes in its social and economical make up. Having initially been an area made up of small, independent and diversified farmers and artisans, large cotton plantations began to appear. The white population had decreased from 11,000 to 7,000 by 1800 and the black population had risen from 2,000 to almost 14,000 by 1860.
The lure of expanding the cotton kingdom westward lured many of Newberry’s leading citizens to move west during the first part of the 19th century. The county was overwhelmingly separatist and this made it a leader in the states withdrawal from the union. John Belton O’Neall, a renowned historian and antebellum jurist, stood almost alone in his opposing view of separatism. He warned of the impending destruction that would be caused but his warnings were rejected by his fellow citizens. Before the war he was a well known leader in humanitarian efforts in improving the conditions for slaves he also tried to encourage diversification and proper soil conservation to help the area that he loved so dearly.
While Newberry was seriously affected by the war, it was spared the immense devastation that many other counties in South Carolina suffered during that time.
Newberry County was graced with business and professional leaders who had good perception and foresight. In 1851, the first upcountry
railroad line was secured by Newberry making it the leading inland cotton market of the pre-war period. Numerous physicians, lawyers and merchants were attracted to the growing village. While the village had courthouse, jail, school, burial ground, postmaster, and library society, it did not have a church for the first 40 years.
Other early communities of Newberry were Mollohon, Whitmire, Jalapa, Kinards, Silverstreet, Maybinton, Chappells, Deadfall, Prosperity (Frog Level), Stoney Battery, Smokey Town and Pomaria. Pomaria was home to one of the largest and most complete nurseries in the south. William Summer a noted agriculturalist and horticulturist started the nursery in 1840 and it ran until 1878. He also ran the Pomaria Stock Farm, which developed improved cattle, swine and sheep.
Education was a concern for the citizens of Newberry County. One of the state’s most outstanding preparatory schools Mt. Bethel Academy operated from 1794 until 1820. When South Carolina College opened in 1805 almost the entire study body came from Mt Bethel Academy. Prior to the public school system that began in 1891, some other schools that catered to the educational needs of the students in Newberry were: Ashbury-Finch School founded in 17 94, Newberry Academy founded in 1809, and Pagesville Academy in 1848.
Newberry College, a Lutheran liberal arts college, was permanently established in 1858 and not only supported by the Lutherans but by the whole community. The college began in 1831 near the home of Colonel John Eichelberger in Pomaria as a Classical Academy and Theological Seminary of the South Carolina Lutheran Synod. The college moved several times out of the county before it returned to Newberry County where its presence has had great influence.
Newberry County is rich in history, scenic appeal, natural and human resources. The county has its place fixed in the development of the state by its leaders and its citizens.
Built in 1881 the Opera House was a big attraction in Newberry. It is made of brick and has a large clock tower. The stage is ample and the chairs and fittings are comfortable. Another attraction in the city is the market, which is brick and is extensive and was one of the best arranged in the up country.
The city had a few hotels in 1889. The Newberry Hotel was a brick building on the public square and run by Mr. P. N. Crouch. Mrs. Emma F. Blease ran the Crotwell. There were boarding houses that were run by Mrs. Fant, A.J. Sproles, H.H. Blease, and B.H. Lovelace.
A big industry for Newberry was brick making. The company of Messers, Poole, &Poole made salmon colored bricks that were not only used for local building but were exported to various places in the upcountry. There was also very fine granite within a mile of Newberry and it was owned and quarried by Messers, Leavell and Speers. Some of that granite was shipped to Augusta for new government buildings and to Anderson for the front of a hotel.
The Newberry Cotton Mills was located near the depot and was four stories high. It was built out of the same salmon colored brick that many of the buildings that were in Newberry. The president of the mills in 1889 was R.L. McCaughrin and the treasurer and general secretary was H.C. Robertson, of Charleston. There were 250 workers in 1889.
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cathy mcLendon says
I am trying to find any information about my ancestors who were Thomas and Reuben Morgan. they settled and acquired property during the RW along King’s creek and Bush River. I am doing this work through the DAR and I need to find church records citing their names. I know that some of them attended the Bush River monthly Quaker meetings. Thank you for any help!
Melvin D Price says
I am searching for sources that may provide me either drawings, photos or paintings of the Folk – Holloway House located in Pomaria, SC.