The Yorkville Enquirer reported on Oct. 25, 1895 – “The water is so low at Howell’s Ferry that flats can no longer pass. All travelers have to ford the river.”
The Yorkville Enquirer on Nov. 9, 1901 reported – “Arrangements have been made for the establishment of a free ferry on the Broad River at Howells. The York County Board of Commissioners have adopted a set of rules and regulations which were already approved by the Cherokee County Commission.”
City Directories and History: Howell’s Ferry: “About eight miles north of the Pinckneyville Ferry, and between Smiths Creek and Howards Branch, John Bankhead established a ferry in 1792. In 1806 Joseph Howell bought this ferry. In 1813 William Howell became the owner and, in applying to the general assembly for a new charter, gave several insights into the importance of the ferry. Howell stated that “the ferry is the nearest route from the South eastern part of this state to Tennessee by way of Mills Gap. Also to the back parts of Georgia. It is also the route by which the mail passes on its return from Spartanburg to Columbia by way of Yorkville Courthouse.” In addition to periodically having to request new charters, ferry owners had to submit a copy of their rates of passage for various items that people sometimes wished to carry across a river.”
Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC
A story in the July 31, 1824, issue was headed: “Beat this and take the Corn,” a report in which the paper boasted: “Near Howell’s ferry on Broad River on the York side, stands a sycamore tree, which, for its great size and capacity surpasses perhaps any in the United States. It is 72 feet in circumference – with 16 feet of a hollow in diameter – has held within that space seven men on horseback. Tradition reports that it gave shelter and afforded protection to many families during the lowering days of the American Revolution. No mistake.”
Bad Roads and Runaways… Louise Pettus Article, Sept. 11, 2005
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