129 – 132 South Oakland Avenue – A. E. Hutchison Home

“An outstanding example of local architecture which faced Clay Street…..”

The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Sept. 12, 1872 – “Capt. Eugene Hutchison is enlarging and improving his residence.”

City Directories and History: 1906 – W.C. Hutchison, Mrs. Hutchison, Lynn Hutchison, Ms. Annie C. Hutchison, 1908 – W.C. Hutchison (124 Clay Street), 1922/23 – W.C. Hutchison, 1946 – NA, 1963 – Winn-Dixie Grocery Store

R&R HISTORY LINK: HUTCHISON BUILDING – MAIN STREET

Receipt for goods purchased at Ann H. White’s brothers store: A.E. Hutchison, dated 1852. Courtesy of the White Family Collection – 2008

“There was another important early house not far from White Street. This was the old A. E. Hutchison house, built in the late 1840’s by Dr. John Johnson on land purchased from the family of James and Sophia (Springs) Moore. When the Johnsons moved to Mississippi in the late 1850’s, they sold the tract of land and the house to Capt. A. E. Hutchison. Today the York Observer building occupies the spot where the old house stood. The land is still owned by the Hutchison family. The road in front of the house was called the Land’s-ford Road before 1900.

Then it was called Clay Street; today it is Charlotte Avenue. The entire area where the house stood was called “the Hutchison grove” and was attractive because of its immense trees and the lovely shrubs that surrounded the old frame mansion-house. The last of the family to live there were William Campbell Hutchison (son of A. E. Hutchison) and his wife, Jane Eliza Johnston. While they were living there, most of the rear portion of the house was destroyed by fire. Mrs. Hutchison was fatally injured in the blaze.” [Robbins – White History Tour]

The Herald reported on Jan. 12, 1882 – “Mr. A.E. Hutchison placed a bid on the old Rock Island Factory property at the commissioner’s sale in Charlotte (NC).”

The Herald reported on Jan. 17, 1884 – “At a meeting of the stock holders of the Carolina National Bank of Columbia, A.E. Hutchison and A.H. White of Rock Hill were elected directors.”

The Yorkville Enquirer of Oct. 22, 1885 reported – “Mr. J.R. London and Mr. A.E. Hutchison of Rock Hill have become associated with Capt. Willie Jones and Dr. T.C. Robertson of Columbia in the ownership of the Red Bank cotton factory in Lexington County.  It was recently purchased for $23,500. It is expected that the mill will resume work in about two weeks.  Improvements being made include: electric lights.”

The Rock Hill Herald reported on Nov. 29, 1888 – “Major W.H. Dunlop of Little Rock, Ark., has been visiting his sister in Rock Hill, Mrs. A.E. Hutchison.  He is a native of York County and was raised near Cureton’s Ferry.  He has been  in Arkansas for twenty years and is now the State Auditor.  He served in Co. B. of the 12th Reg., and later served under McGowan as a sharp shooter raising to the rank of Major.”

The Herald reported on Sept. 12, 1896 – “Ms. Mary Hutchison Caldwell was recently elected a teacher of music at the Rock Hill Graded School.  She has arrived and is making her home with Capt. A. E. Hutchison.”

The Rock Hill Herald reported on April 8, 1899 – “Capt. A.E. Hutchison has been judged bankrupt on his own petition. He has been Pres. of the RH Cotton Factory since it was organized in 1881.  Mr. Hutchison has liabilities of $90,855. and assets of $58,000.  The mill has not been profitable for several years and Mr. Hutchison has used his private funds to keep it going.”

The A.E. Hutchison Family – Courtesy of the Hutchison Collection, 2017

The Herald reported June 22, 1901 – “The property of Capt. A.E. Hutchison is in the hands of T.F. McDow, Esq. as trustee, and will be  sold at an early date.  It includes all the property on the east side of Main Street from but not including, the old Savings Bank building to Gordon’s Old Hotel; the vacant lot on the corner of Depot and White Streets; the grove in the rear of Capt. Hutchison’s homeplace; the Sims place in the eastern part of the city “sixty acres”; and eighty acres of other property.”

The Herald reported on Aug 10, 1901 – “Mrs. Hutchison purchased the house and three lots for $2,500.  W.L. Roddey bought two lots in the grove, fronting the Southern Railroad, J.M. Cherry – W.W. Boyce, and W.L. Roddey purchased lots fronting a street which will run parallel to the SC and G Railroad (CCC’s).”

A. Eugene and wife Alice, attorney at People’s National Bank, were account holders  at the McElwee Store in 1915-16.

Hiram Hutchison, the son of A.E. Hutchison, born Dec. 25, 1854 killed by lightning in 1870. HRH Collection – The Yorkville Enquirer reported on June 9, 1870 – “We learned that during the storm of last Friday afternoon, Hiram Hutchison, the second son of Mr. A.E. Hutchsion of Rock Hill was struck by lightening and killed while standing in the door of the family residence.  The descended was a youth of about 16 years and of very estimable character. It is a remarkable coincidence that his maternal grandfather was also killed by lightening.”

The location of the Winn – Dixie Store on South Oakland Avenue was originally that of the A.E. Hutchison home and property. A.E. Hutchison, was the brother of Ann H. White of Rock Hill and their properties adjoined each others until the coming of the Three C’s Railroad line. A.E. Hutchison’s lovely home was constructed as a speculative venture by B.F. Rawlinson of Rock Hill who was building a considerable number of houses in both Rock Hill as well as in York for buyers.

Managers at the Winn – Dixie Store. Courtesy of the Pettus Archives (Azer Collection), at Winthrop Archives.

The old home pictured below was one of the oldest in Rock Hill and faced what was then called Clay Street, now known as Charlotte Avenue. See additional data written below by William B. White and Ms. Margaret Robbins.

The Herald reported on March 14, 1925 – “That the name of Clay Street had been changed to Charlotte Avenue by the City Council. Clay Street extends from the railway just beyond the Overhead Bridge to the intersection of White Street directly in front of the home of H.H. White.”

Click on the More Information > link found below the picture column for additional data or pictures.

CAPT. A. E. HUTCHISON by Louise Pettus

Adolphus Eugene Hutchison was born near the Nation Ford of the Catawba River March 10, 1826. His family were among the early settlers of the Catawba Indian Land. His parents were David Hutchison and Jane Moore. David Hutchison was one of the Indian commissioners who vigorously pursued a land settlement with the Catawbas. Eugene, age 14, was probably present when the historic Nation Ford Treaty was signed with the Catawbas. When Eugene Hutchison was 20 years of age he was 1st. lieutenant of the Ebenezer Light Infantry, a unit of the 46th State Militia. Each unit chose its own uniforms. The Ebenezer Light Infantry wore black hats, white vests and trousers, a black stock and black boots. Sometime between 1846 and 1858, besides his farming interests, Hutchison became a partner of G. E. M. Steele in a general merchandise store. When the Civil War came along the partners dissolved the business and enlisted. In 1850 Hutchison married Mary Campbell and had two sons, David and William, and a daughter, Lizzie. She died and after the war Hutchison married Susan Dunlap and had a daughter. Hutchison was one of the financial backers of Rock Hill’s first newspapers, the Indian Land Chronicle, which lasted from 1857 to 1860. Much later in life he was to be one of the first financial supporters of the State newspaper.

As a planter Hutchison was interested in improving agriculture. The soil in the area around Ebenezer was deficient in potash. Cotton got a disease called rust and the com failed to “french out.” Commercial potash was very expensive. Hutchison experimented with kainite from Aiken County and found it satisfactory and much less expensive than potash.

Yorkville Enquirer, Wednesday, May 20, 1863: Editorial Items     

J.A. Sadler, Government Agent, wrote a letter from Rock Hill dated May 15^th stating that A. E. Hutchison gave 100 pounds of “good bacon” to soldiers in the field. “Has any one about Yorkville done better.” [sic, no ?] 

William A. Robinson of Clark’s Fork, York District sold corn to soldiers’ families for $1 per bushel.

When the Civil War broke out Hutchison organized and became the captain of the Whyte Guards. He named the company for Archibald Whyte who was one of his early teachers. Hutchison became Adjutant of the Fourth Regiment of State Troops. Toward the end of the war when South Carolina was desperate to stop the invaders, Hutchison raised a company of sixteen-year-old boys. Hutchison returned from the war to farm. Soon he was serving in the state legislature and shocked at the conditions that surrounded the “Wallace legislature.” He joined Wade Hampton’s Red Shirts and helped to elect Hampton as governor in 1876.

R&R HISTORY LINK: Western York County Stock Group

In 1880 James Morrow Ivy initiated plans for building the Rock Hill Cotton Mill (the first steam-driven cotton mill in South Carolina). Ivy left others to run the mill and Capt. A. Eugene Hutchison became the first president. (The building, still standing in downtown Rock Hill, is presently occupied by Plej’s, an outlet for Ostrow Textile Co., Inc.) A biographer has written that, more than once, Hutchison “jeopardized his estate” for the cotton mill. Captain Hutchison was active in veterans’ affairs. With his long gray whiskers and an invariable gray suit, he was a reminder of the Confederacy to which he remained attached as the lieutenant commander of the Catawba Camp, a veteran’s organization. The bearded old gentleman with his courteous manners became a Rock Hill favorite. His cheery home in a grove of trees alongside the railroad became a favorite meeting place for children. His pockets always bulged with goodies for them.

Adolphus Eugene Hutchison, 79, died in Sumter at the home of his youngest daughter, Mrs. George W. Dick, on June 20, 1905 and was buried the next day in Laurelwood Cemetery in Rock Hill.

(Information courtesy of and from: YCGHS – The Quarterly Magazine, March 2000)

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R&R HISTORY LINK: Caldwell Home in downtown Rock Hill SC

R&R HISTORY LINK: David Hutchison House

R&R HISTORY LINK: Rock Hill Private Hospital

R&R HISTORY LINK: Rock Hill Cotton Factory

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