152 North Congress Street – McMaster Hotel

City Directories and History: Mr. McMaster established his enterprises in the vicinity of 152 N. Congress to include automobile parts and the Ford dealership in the early 1920’s. His family had for two generations before him operated a hotel named the McMaster Hotel in the parking lot area of the Napa Auto Parts Store and lived in the beautiful early Nineteenth Century building until it burned in 1914.

Prior to that fire a major fire in the 1890’s destroyed most of the center of this block including Mr. John W. Cathcart’s cotton business which was later run by Mr. J. P Matthews as a store. Before Mr. McMaster built his automobile enterprise building Mr. Charles Cathcart maintained his residence on the site. [Information provided by J.M. Lyles]

*** The address of this location is approximate.

The Rock Hill Record of Oct. 8, 1908 reported on an extensive fire in Winnsboro. “The fire originated in the old store room at the corner of College and Congress Streets, occupied by Larkin Woodward, as a restaurant. It then spread to buildings occupied by Peter Russell as a shoe shop, and Kate Miller as a restaurant, and then to the adjoining shop used by Berry Ann Watson.  All the above tenants are African American.  The next to yield was the old McMaster Hotel, occupied by the families of Mrs. M.H. Boulware and Mrs. M.E. Sitgreaves.  A further spreading of the flames on the eastern side of Congress Street was prevented by the brick building of A.B. Cathcart, which is used by S.T. Johnston for a grocery store. Across the street, the brick store of W.C. Beaty Co., which had an old single roof, lost the roof and most of the goods were damaged.  All the wooden building belonged to D.L. Stevenson and W.K. Turner.  H.B. Refo and Co., moved out a part of their stock of goods to protect them.”

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