Newberry Courthouses: 1202 Caldwell St., and 1226 College Street
“The population of Newberry numbers upwards of 4,000 and is rapidly increasing. The mayor is Mr. George B. Cromer. The aldermen are Messrs. E. C. Jones, M.D., Edward Scholtz, George McWhirter, and B. H. Dine. The clerk of the board is Mr. John S. Fair, and the chief of police is Capt. J. H. Chappell. The head of the fire department is J. E. Brown, with S. B. McCaughrin and S. B. Jones assistant chiefs. They are provided with a first-class La France steamer manned by the young white men of Newberry, who take a great interest in their work and are prompt and efficient. The steamer company is supplemented by a colored hand engine and a colored hook and ladder company, the whole combining to make the department one of the best equipped and most efficient in the State.”*
City Directories and History: The town of Newberry, S.C. is a charming location with extensive architectural treasures worthy of preservation. One of the biggest attractions in this lovely town, for R&R were the college and the intact commercial heart of the city. Don’t just bypass Newberry, take a few hours and stop at one of Newberry’s antique shops, book stores, or restaurants. The old court house, a National Register site, is one of the finest in the state and well worth viewing.
proportions attest to the affluence of pre-Civil War Newberry County. During Reconstruction, Osborne Wells was assigned the task of remodeling the courthouse. Wells’ additions included two-column porticos at side entrances and a bas-relief mounted on the frontal pediment. This bas-relief depicts the spirit of the prostrate state: a U.S. eagle holds an uprooted palmetto tree in its talons; perched upon the tree roots is a gamecock crowing defiantly; at the top of the tree a dove bears an olive branch. This building, the fourth in a series of five County Courthouses, was used for court sessions between 1852 and 1906. Listed in the National Register August 19, 1971. [Courtesy of the S.C. Dept. of Archives and History]
Newberry – Much of the folklore about these places has come from personal interviews with a number of Newberry citizens. The subject is presented only in the hope that it may prove interesting.
It has never been determined just how this name originated. One tradition is that it came from a family of that name. Another is that the village was named after cities either in America or England, spelled “Newbury.” Newberrians like the legend that the first settlers, seeing the vast forests of different woods, trees hanging with grape and muscadine vines bearing luscious fruit profusely, the ground covered with rich green carpeting, fruit-bearing shrubbery scattered all about, might have commented that it all looked like a “new berry.” Originally the accent was placed on the second syllable instead of the first, as is the modern pronunciation.
In 1762 Samuel Kelly, who operated a store, remarked that in the spring it was the most beautiful scene his eyes ever beheld. The open woods presented no obstructions to the view. The hills and vales were covered with pea-vine and maiden cane; the flowers in bloom made it look like a garden.(Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)
The Rock Hill Record reported on March 30, 1908 – “The town of Newberry has awarded a contract to Brown and (McCue) of Greenville, for 10,000 ft of cement sidewalks, five feet wide for a cost of $4,500.00, work will begin on April 15th.”
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