Rainey Home in Sharon, S.C.

City Directories and History:  The Rainey House is a fine example of a Neoclassical influenced Georgian house built by John S. Rainey in 1906 or 1907 for his wife,

R&R HISTORY LINK: RAINEY FARMSTEAD

Anna Amelia Faulkner. The entry porch has a prominent decorative entablature with a lunette window in the pedimented gable and Tuscan columns. Within the porch is a two-story balcony with turned balusters. Functional shutters are also present. The house is located on Hickory Grove Road. [Historical Properties of York County, SC – 1995]

The Rock Hill Record of Jan. 21, 1909 – “Mr. John Rainey is sawing lumber for the erection of a nine room dwelling.  The grade of lumber is of rare quality from original forest trees.”

At the turn of the 20th century Sharon, S.C., was a thriving economic center in Western York County, S.C. The Rainey house sat overlooking its’ downtown.

Mr. John S. Rainey was a businessman-farmer in the early 20th century who was highly influential in the community and life of Sharon, SC. Besides R&R HISTORY LINK:holding vast acreage, he also owned and controlled the Sharon gin, he called himself a ginner in the 1920 census, as well as owned considerable shares in the Bank of Sharon. One son, John, Jr. became a physician and moved to Anderson, SC where he married into the Stringer family. Mr. Rainey’s grandson, the last owner of the handsome home, was for a short period the first Executive Director of Historic Brattonsville and was a well known historical preservationist in York, S.C.

The Sanborn map of 1934 shows a warehouse at the rear of the Rainey gin complex. This building fell into disrepair and in 2013, only the brick fire wall remains. See further information on the Rainey’s gin on York Street.

Informative links: Neoclassical Style

Stay Connected

Explore history, houses, and stories across S.C. Your membership provides you with updates on regional topics, information on historic research, preservation, and monthly feature articles. But remember R&R wants to hear from you and assist in preserving your own family genealogy and memorabilia.

Visit the Southern Queries – Forum to receive assistance in answering questions, discuss genealogy, and enjoy exploring preservation topics with other members. Also listed are several history and genealogical researchers for hire.

User comments welcome — post at the bottom of this page.

R&R HISTORY LINK: THE RAINEY’S GIN

R&R HISTORY LINK: 4028 YORK WOODLAND

R&R HISTORY LINK: RUNNING A TOWN ARTICLE

Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

Do you have information to share and preserve? Family, school, church, or other older photos and stories are welcome. Send them digitally through the “Share Your Story” link, so they too might be posted on Roots and Recall.