This Building Has History ™
Name: Friends of the YC Library
Architect: UN
Builder: UN
Constructed: Ca. 1920
In 1859, an item in the Indian Land Journal, Rock Hill’s first newspaper, reported the purchase of these lots by Jonathan N. Steele in January of that year. Steele is thought to have gone into business with William B. Fewell. Little is known about this, except that Fewell deeded his half interest in the property to Steele in 1868 for $1,200. Later that year, assignees of Jonathan Steele deeded the lot to Ferguson H. Barber. It is presumed that there was a house of some kind on the property, and that something additional was sold in the transaction, as the consideration was only $300.
Ferguson H. Barber had moved from across the street, lots #5 and #6 North. In the late 1870’s or early 1880’s, he built a new residence here. The house had an elaborate, spacious wrap-around porch and gingerbread trim. Barber owned the Manetta Mills in Lando, S.C., and was known to drive a buggy to work each morning, and return in the afternoon. His home stood till about 1910, one of the last torn down to make room for vehicular traffic and new businesses from the corner of Hampton, stretching east to this location.
Around 1919, the People’s Trust Bank acquired the lots, divided into four parcels. A filling station was put on part of the land, later to become a florists – Kimball’s Flower Shop. In the 1930’s, the remaining sections were used for a dress shop and a series of furniture stores. The most recent occupants were Bea’s, in the 1980’s, and an establishment known as Scottie’s. In 2016, the Friends of the Library occupy the space.
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Sponsored
by
Roots and Recall LLC, The City of Rock Hill, The York County Arts Council, & The S.C. Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and by a generous award from the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of The Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina.
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