City Directories and History: 1908 – James Lynn, Anna (Clerk RH Hardware Co – Original #536 Marion St.), 1917 – J.G. Barnwell, 1922/23 – O.P. Thompson, 1936 – Otis P. Thompson, 1963 – James S. White
The Rock Hill Record reported on May 13, 1907 – “Building in Woodland Park continues. Ms. Mammie and Ore Steele are having a nice cottage erected. J.C. Cauthen and Heyward Moore residences are nearing completion. Mrs. Wallace will build a cottage near James Lynn. J. Wilson Moore has given a contract for residence near Heyward Moore.”
The Rock Hill Record reported on April 23, 1908 – “Mr. Sam Barnett has sold his house and lot in Woodland to Mrs. James L. Lynn and has another under erection on the same street.”
MARION STREET DEVELOPMENT- As Rock Hill experienced a period of very rapid growth, developers emerged who provided building lots and housing stock for the new residents. Beginning in the 1890s, the Rock Hill Land and Town Site Company developed the large Oakland section to the north of downtown. In 1906, James Spratt White, Jr. opened a new residential section known as Woodland Park, including a number of residential lots along Saluda Street and several side streets, including two lots on each side at the eastern end of Marion Street. Woodland Park had the first cement sidewalks in Rock Hill and included several small parks, including the existing park at the corner of Saluda, Marion, and Center Streets. J. S. White was quite a salesman, and he held public auctions for the sale of lots. On May 30, 1906, an initial auction was held to open Woodland Park. This resulted in the sale of twenty-two lots and seven houses, with an additional sixteen lots being sold shortly thereafter. Later sections of Woodland Park were developed in 1909 and 1912, and development continued into the 1940′s.
At the time, of the development of Woodland Park, the rest of the Marion Street area was owned by Mrs. D. A. Johnston and the J. B.
Johnson family. Beginning in 1910, the remainder of Marion Street was developed by Dr. J. B. Johnson. The street was extended to the west and eventually met with Hampton Street. Dr. Johnson named the street for his oldest daughter, Marion. Lots on Marion Street sold rapidly, and by 1912, a picture appeared in the Chamber of Commerce brochure showing a number of new houses on a treeless Marion Street.
Marion Street provided housing for the growing middle class in Rock Hill. It was within walking distance of the downtown area, which at that time housed almost all the businesses and services for the city. The early residents of Marion Street included doctors, a farmer, merchants, the founder of the Rock Hill Lumber Company, textile superintendents, bankers, a newspaper editor, and investors in many of the developing business and industrial corporations. Several architectural styles are evident in the neighborhood. The earlier houses were mostly adaptations of the Classical revival Style. By 1915, several houses showed a mixture of Classical Revival and the emerging Bungalow/Craftsman style. By 1920, many houses were in the Bungalow style, especially on some of the streets surrounding Marion, such as Center Street.
Most of Marion Street and properties on Johnston Street and Center Street are included in the Marion Street Area Historic District, listed in the national Register of Historic Places. [Article written and contributed to R&R by Mr. Paul Gettys]
The Record reported Jan. 28, 1929 – “The Mr. and Mrs. R.A. Hollingsworth moved to Rock Hill from Raleigh, N.C. and have an appartment at the home of O.P. Thompson on Marion Street. Mr. Hollingsworth is a traveling representative with Morgan Millworks Company.”
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JOHN GIBBES BARNWELL – Rock Hill City Manager 1915-1919
Rock Hill’s first City Manager was John Gibbes Barnwell, Sr. He was born September 12, 1883 in Georgetown County, SC., the son of W. H. Barnwell and Annie S. Mazyck Barnwell. In 1900, he was a student at Clemson College in the engineering department.[1] After receiving his engineering degree, he worked for a time in the electrical department of a cotton mill in Columbia. About 1906, he became Superintendent of the water and light plants in York.[2] While in York, he married Meta Deas Boykin about 1908. Meta was born in Kershaw County on November 2, 1883 to Samuel and Leila Ancrum Boykin.[3] The 1910 Census shows the couple living in York with no children. They were renting a house, and John is listed as Superintendent of the city electric plant. In the Census, Meta in mistakenly called “Neta O. Barnwell.” John served with the City of York for six years.
About 1912, John was hired as Superintendent of the Public Works Commission of the City of Rock Hill. The Commission operated with some independence from the City Council, and had been created shortly before Barnwell was named as Superintendent.[4] Under Barnwell’s management, Rock Hill’s water and electrical system was expanded significantly. It was described as one of the best utility systems in the Carolinas, with assets of $299,196 and earnings of $8,600 per year.[5] Extensive improvements were made, and water lines were extended to new areas.
In late 1914, the City Council voted to reorganize under the Commission-Manager form of government, with an appointed City Manager working under the commission formed by the Mayor and City Council. In January 1915, there was an election for a new City Council. There were eight candidates for the three seats available. Elected were James C. Hardin, Fred A. Dunlap, and W. G. Stevens.[6] Hardin was elected Mayor by the Council. One of the first topics for the new council was the selection of the first City Manager under the new form of government. Council members had spent some time studying the operation of the manager system in other cities.
The new position attracted several candidates. J. Claude Cauthen, who had served on the previous City Council and was general manager of the Syleuca Manufacturing Company, stated that he would “be a candidate for the new office of city manager under the new form of city government.”[7] Others mentioned for the position were John Barnwell, Webb White, and C. K. Chreitzberg.[8] There was no mention of a formal application or interview procedure for the position, and it is unlikely that candidates from out of town were considered. By the end of January, the Council had abolished the Public Works Commission and was prepared to select a manager. On February 1, the Council met for its regular meeting, and one of the items of business was the selection of the new manager. The name of John Barnwell was the only one presented to Council, and he was selected unanimously, “the term of office being at the will of Council, at a salary of $200.00 per month.”[9] Barnwell was certainly a qualified candidate. Since the utility system was one of the most important functions of the City, it was logical to find someone experienced in that area, a pattern which would be repeated with many of the early city managers. In a national publication, Barnwell’s previous experience as a manager and chief engineer of utilities, both public and private, for fourteen years, was emphasized.[10]
Barnwell immediately began to make recommendations for improvements to the Council. At his first meeting, on February 8, he proposed consolidating city offices and purchasing an addressograph machine to automate the addressing of water and light bills to reduce expenses. The Council also was busy: “The question of rules and regulations governing the work of the city manager was discussed at length, but no definite action was taken.”[11] By the end of February, Barnwell submitted specifications for changes to the offices in City Hall (then located in the block of Hampton Street between Main and Black). He also began discussing drainage problems for a stream called Saluda Branch that originated on Black Street near Central School (now the site of the Child Development Center) and flowed south through the new subdivision of Woodland Park. Street lamps were approved for Hagins and Moore Streets and Pond Street, and an ordinance was considered for restricting chickens from running at large in town. The Council placed a bond of $10,000 on the manager position.[12] In March, the activity increased, with council receiving twelve reports from the manager on March 1,[13] changes to the water and light rates being considered, the chicken ordinance passed, and an ordinance proposed prohibiting skating or bicycles on the sidewalks. The plans for solution to the Saluda Creek drainage were completed, and contacts were being made with property owners to secure easements.[14]
It appears that the new manager made an excellent start. Obviously, his previous experience in York and with the Public Works Commission prepared him well, and he was very familiar with the city, the public needs, and the people he needed to work with.
In 1911, just before coming to Rock Hill, Barnwell and his wife Meta had a son, John Gibbes Barnwell, Jr. They would have two other children, Meta Boykin Barnwell, born about 1916 while John was serving as City Manager, and William Habersham Barnwell, born in 1921. Some personal information can be found in John’s draft registration form for World War I, submitted on September 12, 1918. His home address is listed as 315 Marion Street and his occupation listed as City Manager. He is described as tall and slender, with gray eyes and light hair. At the time, he was about 34 years old.[15] In 1919, the local news column reported that “Mr. and Mrs. John Barnwell and family left yesterday for a week’s visit with friends and relatives in Boykin.”[16]
During the summer of 1919, the City Council began to discuss the need for street paving in Rock Hill. They held public meetings and invited outside experts to describe what other progressive cities were doing to pave streets. Undoubtedly, Barnwell was working closely on this project. By late July the city attorneys were instructed to develop a petition which could lead to a referendum on a major bond issue. The vote was held in late October, and voters approved issuance of bonds in the amount of $400,000 for street paving, $100,000 for water system improvements, and $50,000 for sewer system improvements.[17] This was a major undertaking, and capped Barnwell’s accomplishments as City Manager.[18]
On November 1, 1919, John Barnwell announced his intention to resign his position to accept the job of Assistant Treasurer for the Aragon Cotton Mills in Rock Hill. He would succeed L. D. Pitts, who moved to the Blue Buckle Mill (successor to the Manchester Cotton Mill). The resignation was effective December 1, 1919. The Rock Hill Herald reported “He has made a most capable manager, and the affairs of the city have been conducted on a business basis since the new form of government was inaugurated. Members of the council stated today that the resignation would be accepted with great reluctance…Mr. Barnwell stated today that he hated to give up the work, but that the offer received from the Aragon Mill was too tempting to turn down. It is understood that Mr. Barnwell will receive a salary that will make his present wage look exceedingly small.”[19]
It is not known how long Mr. Barnwell remained with the Aragon Mill. The family does not appear in the 1920 Census. In the 1930 and 1940 Census reports, the family is reported in Whitmire, South Carolina. John Barnwell was working for J. P. Stevens and Company, apparently for the remainder of his career. In 1930, all three children were at home. John, Jr. was 19, Meta was 14 and William was 9. In 1940, the family was living on Harison [Harrison] Street in Whitmire, and John is listed as Manager of a textile mill office. The family lived in a rental home, probably provided by the mill, and his income was $4,000 per year. Of the children, only William was at home, aged 19. Census data has not been released for years after 1940.
In 1951, John and Meta appear in the Atlanta City Directory, living in Brookhaven, a northern suburb near Chamblee. It is not known whether John was working or whether the couple was retired. Meta died on December 19, 1965, and John died July 18, 1970 at the age of 86.[20] The State newspaper carried an obituary for Mr. Barnwell which reviewed his career. It stated that he was to be buried in Laurelwood Cemetery in Rock Hill and described him as the first City Manager of Rock Hill and a retired executive with J. P. Stevens and Company.[21] Most of the family is buried in Laurelwood Cemetery in Rock Hill. Elder son John Gibbes Barnwell, Jr. died in 1935 at the age of 24. He was killed in an automobile accident in Union. A news notice in The Herald stated: “Funeral services for John G. Barnwell of Whitmire, son of J. G. Barnwell, former Rock Hill City Manager, who was killed in an automobile-train accident at Union yesterday, were conducted from the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour here today and interment was in Laurelwood Cemetery…Those attending filled the church to overflowing.”[22] William H. Barnwell died in 1980 at the age of 59. Although when his father died in 1970, he was listed as living in Charlotte, his address at his death in 1980 was Fort Mill. The obituary reported that William graduated from The Citadel in 1941 and also received a degree in textile engineering from North Carolina State University. He had served as a Captain in the US Army in World War II. The family belonged to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fort Mill. William had married Betty Cline, and they had three sons and a daughter. He had worked at Celanese Fibers since 1966.[23]
Meta B. Barnwell, the daughter of John and Meta Barnwell, married Archer D. Smith, and they lived in Eastover in southern Richland County. Mrs. Smith died in 2005 at the age of 90. She is the only member of the family who was not buried in Laurelwood Cemetery in Rock Hill. Her funeral was at St. John’s Episcopal Church of Congaree, and she is buried at the church cemetery.[24] There was no full obituary, and children were not listed.
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NOTE: for the purposes of contacting relatives of Mr. Barnwell, the following information is provided from obituaries:
When John G. Barnwell died in 1970, the following survivors were listed:
Daughter, Mrs. Archer D. Smith of Eastover, SC
Son, William H. Barnwell of Charlotte, NC
Brothers: William H. Barnwell, Sr., of Atlanta, GA
Julian M. Barnwell of Spartanburg, SC
Paul M. Barnwell of Sea Cliffs, NY
Sister: Mrs. T. C. Heyward of Charlotte, NC
When son William H. Barnwell died in 1980, the following survivors were listed:
Wife, Betty Cline Barnwell of Fort Mill, SC
Sons: John G. Barnwell of Chester, SC
- H. Barnwell of Santa Cruz, CA
- C. Barnwell of Fort Mill, SC
Daughter, Mrs. Stephen Mays of Asheville, NC
Sister, Mrs. Meta Smith of Eastover, SC
When daughter Meta Barnwell Smith died in 2005, there was no listing of survivors.
[1] The U. S. Census for 1890 Census shows Barnwell as one of many students in a dormitory.
[2] Employment information from the Rock Hill Herald, February 2, 1915.
[3] Information from Social Security death index.
[4] Rock Hill Herald, January 29, 1915.
[5] Rock Hill Herald, January 28, 1915.
[6] Rock Hill Herald, January 15, 1915.
[7] Rock Hill Herald, January 8, 1915.
[8] Rock Hill Herald, January 15, 1015.
[9] City Council Minutes, February 1, 1915.
[10] Yearbook of the City Managers’ Association: Proceeding of the Sixth Annual Meeting, May 1920.
[11] Rock Hill Herald, February 9, 1915.
[12] Rock Hill Herald, February 23, 1915.
[13] Rock Hill Herald, March 2, 1915.
[14] Rock Hill Herald, March 9, 1915 and March 16, 1915.
[15] Draft registration located on Ancestry.com.
[16] Rock Hill Herald, July 17, 1919.
[17] Rock Hill Herald, October 29, 1919.
[18] The web site U. S. Inflation Calculator, using the official Consumer Price Index, places the total value of the bond issue at $7,536,000 in today’s dollar.
[19] Rock Hill Herald, November 1, 1919.
[20] Social Security death index information listed on Ancestry.com
[21] The State, July 19, 1970.
[22] Rock Hill Herald, October 5, 1935.
[23] Rock Hill Herald, April 21, 1980.
[24] The State, October 18, 2005.
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