City Directories and History: “Chesnee, eighteen ‘ miles northeast of Spartanburg on Highway 221, is named for the Chesney family who had land grants there in 1750. It is a thriving textile manufacturing community.”
Chesnee (Note: For information on the origin of the name Chesnee, I am indebted to A Brief History of the First Fifty Years of Chesnee, South Carolina, 1911- 1961 by Helen Hicks Ezell.) Before the Clinchfield Railroad decided to build its line from Spartanburg through what is now the town of Chesnee there was only farm land with widely scattered farm houses. Everyone knew that there was to be a depot in the area but railroad officials kept the exact place a closely guarded secret. A number of citizens even bought up land, hoping that the depot would be on a particular spot they had chosen.
All speculation ceased, however, when the Chesnee Land Company, a group of Spartanburg citizens (important among whom was Mr. John B. Cleveland, one of the wealthy citizens of Spartanburg at the turn of the century) bought a sizable acreage at what is now Chesnee. A surveyor laid out streets and the railroad officials announced that on October 23, 1909, an excursion train would run over the newly laid rails to Spartanburg. As Mrs. Ezell puts it, “Anyone who so desired could board the train and ride without cost to the city and return the same day. . . . For some it would be their first train ride. For others, it would be their first view of a train. … A box car was installed as a temporary depot. … A few took a look (at the engine) and decided that they simply had seen enough for one day. . . . Some forced screaming children into the passenger cars for their first ride. For most it was sheer pleasure. . . .” Mr. Cleveland named his land company—and later the town—after his great grandmother, Margaret Chesnee. She was born in Scotland. Alexander Vernon, also Scotland born, had migrated to Spartanburg County and settled on the North Tyger River. He later returned to Scotland, married Miss Chesnee, and brought her back to his North Tyger River home. The word Vernon still survives as the name of one of the streets in Spartanburg running into Cleveland Park, so named because the land was donated by Mr. Cleveland to the City.
Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC
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