The Rock Hill Herald on July 1, 1886 reported – “Contained an account of the killing of Mr. John R. Bell by Mr. LeRoy Springs on May Street in Lancaster last Monday. It was reported that Bell was upset with something Springs had said and attacked Springs on Sunday night at the Carolina House Hotel and tried to kill him. The men were separated on Monday Bell passed in front of Heath-Springs and Company. Col. Springs was sitting in front of the store and Bell struck him and then drew his pistol. Springs drew his weapon and shot Bell who died on the site. Colonel Springs was taken to Chester to appear before Judge Frasier who allowed bail for him. His attorneys are J.D. Wylie of Lancaster and Col. H.C. Jones of Charlotte.”
On Oct. 14, 1886 the Herald reported – Mr. LeRoy Springs was tried last week for the killing of John Bell in Lancaster. The jury acquitted him on the basis of self defense.”
City Directories and History: The Leroy Springs House (Elliot Springs House and City Hall), is an impressive two-story, frame residence in downtown Lancaster that was converted to municipal use as a city hall in 1957. An original section of the building was constructed around 1820-30. The house was greatly enlarged in the mid-1850s and it took its present
appearance in a ca. 1906-07 remodeling. The original owner and builder are not known. The owner during the 1850s renovations was Samuel Buckner Massey. The ca. 1906-07 remodeling, which the buildings integrity derives from, occurred under the ownership of Colonel Leroy Springs, who secured James M. McMichael, an architect from Charlotte, North Carolina, to plan the changes and additions.
The Rock Hill Herald on Sept. 15, 1900 reported – “Springs – Moore and Company is the name of a new cotton firm in Yorkville that will be active in that section. It is composed of LeRoy Springs of Lancaster, B.N. Moore of Yorkville, and P.G. McCorkle of Charlotte.”
The Rock Hill Record reported on April 1, 1907, quoting from the Lancaster News – “Reported that Col. LeRoy Springs new home is nearly complete and he is moving household effects in now. “
The façade features a two-tiered pedimented portico defined by fluted columns with Doric-influenced capitals. The pediment contains a semi-elliptical window with tracery. There is a two-story, flat roof porch addition at the rear. The main interior feature is an entrance stair in a two-story foyer. Leroy Springs played a major role in the industrial development of Lancaster and the surrounding area. The Leroy Springs House represents a significant part of Lancaster’s past, and in this single building, the development of the town is reflected. The house contains structural evidence of a plain house of the early nineteenth century as well as the early twentieth century attempt of a successful industrialist to express his wealth and power through his
residence. Many people believe that the town of Lancaster owes its character and economic status largely to Leroy Springs and his vision for the southern textile industry. Listed in the National Register March 20, 1986. [Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History]
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