Discover African American History in York County, South Carolina
York County, South Carolina is home to a powerful and deeply rooted African American history that helped shape the region, the state, and the nation. From the lived experiences of enslaved people at Historic Brattonsville to the birth of the nationally significant “Jail, No Bail” Civil Rights Movement in Rock Hill, York County’s story cannot be told without honoring the resilience, leadership, and contributions of its African American citizens.
Today, visitors can explore historic schools, churches, museums, monuments, and neighborhoods across Rock Hill, Fort Mill, York, Clover, Hickory Grove, and McConnells—each offering a deeper connection to the individuals and communities who fought for freedom, education, equality, and justice.
Many of these African American heritage sites in York County are also featured in the Green Book of South Carolina, a mobile travel guide highlighting African American cultural sites across the state.
Schools:
Rosenwald Schools
Rosenwald Schools were established in the early 1900s to provide quality education for African American children across the rural South. Founded through a partnership between Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, nearly 5,000 schools were built between 1912 and 1932.
In York County, historians and preservation groups have identified at least 22 Rosenwald School sites. While only three original structures remain standing, four locations feature historical markers:
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Liberty Hill Rosenwald School – 3071 S. Anderson Rd., Catawba
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Carroll School – 4789 Mobley Store Rd., Rock Hill
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St. James School – 1108 Hickory Street, Hickory Grove
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George Fish School Marker – 401 Steele St., Fort Mill
These sites reflect the determination of African American communities to secure education despite segregation and inequality.
St. Anne’s Parochial School (Rock Hill)
St. Anne’s Parochial School holds a unique place in South Carolina history as the first school in the state to integrate. Founded in 1919 by Rev. William A. Tobin, the school enrolled five African American students in 1954, marking a milestone in educational integration. A historical marker now tells the story of this groundbreaking institution in Rock Hill.
Emmett Scott (Rock Hill)
Founded in 1920, Emmett Scott School was Rock Hill’s first public school for African American students. Named for prominent educator Emmett J. Scott, the school served students through high school until desegregation in 1970. Today, the site operates as a neighborhood recreation center owned by the City of Rock Hill.
Clinton College (Rock Hill)
Founded in 1894, Clinton College is York County’s only currently operating Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Originally established as Clinton Institute, the college continues to promote academic excellence, leadership, and service while playing an ongoing role in the county’s African American history.
Friendship Junior College (Rock Hill)
Founded in 1891 as Friendship Normal and Industrial Institute, Friendship College became a hub of Civil Rights activism during the 1960s. Under President Dr. James Goudlock, students led protests that helped launch the Friendship Nine and Jail, No Bail movement. Though the campus was demolished after the school closed in 1981, signage and fencing remain as reminders of its impact.
Exhibits and Museums:
Historic Brattonsville (McConnells)
Historic Brattonsville preserves the intertwined history of Scots-Irish settlers and African Americans in the South Carolina Upcountry. The site features more than 30 historic structures dating from the 1760s to the late 19th century, including an original brick slave cabin.
Annual programs such as “By Way of the Back Door” and “By the Sweat of Our Brows” center the experiences of the enslaved community and include voices of descendants, offering an immersive learning experience.
African American Business District Monument (Old Town Rock Hill)
Located at the corner of Black Street and Dave Lyle Boulevard, this monument commemorates Rock Hill’s historic African American Business District, which thrived until its demolition during Urban Renewal in the 1970s. The site honors Black entrepreneurship and community life in York County.
Freedom Walkway (Old Town Rock Hill)
Just off Main Street in Rock Hill, the Freedom Walkway features a colorful mural and brick pathway celebrating African American civil rights history. Informational panels highlight local justice seekers and pivotal moments in the struggle for equality.
Jail, No Bail Exhibit: How 30 Days Impacted the Civil Rights Movement (Old Town Rock Hill)
This nationally significant exhibit tells the story of the Friendship Nine, whose refusal to post bail in 1961 helped change Civil Rights protest strategy across the country. Through original letters, photographs, videos, and artifacts, visitors learn how Rock Hill played a pivotal role in the movement.
While visiting, stop by Kounter, the restored lunch counter from McCrory’s Five & Dime, where the Friendship Nine staged their sit-in.
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Paradise Community Exhibit at the Fort Mill History Museum
The Paradise Community was founded in 1895 by formerly enslaved people in Fort Mill. The exhibit highlights African American educators, entrepreneurs, and the historic George Fish School, Fort Mill’s first Black public school.
📍 Fort Mill History Museum, 107 Clebourne Street (Free admission)
Historic Sites:
Fishing Creek Place Cemetery
Discovered on private property, this protected cemetery contains 144 graves believed to be those of enslaved Africans. Preserved through a conservation easement with the Nation Ford Land Trust, the site is not open to the public but remains a vital part of York County’s African American history. For inquiries, please email Andrew Lazenby.
Afro-American Insurance Company
With offices in several Southeastern states, Afro-American was one of several insurance companies that catered to black customers. The Rock Hill building, erected in 1909, is evidence of a growing need for professional services among an emerging African American middle class. Several Black-owned businesses also called this site home, including a restaurant, grocery store, and seafood shop.
Allison Creek Presbyterian Church and Clay Hill Graveyard
This church was founded in 1854 by residents of the Clay Hill community on Allison Creek, who were members of Bethel (1769) and Ebenezer (c. 1785) Presbyterian churches. They built this church on land donated by J.D. Currence. Rev. J.R. Baird, the first pastor here, served until 1866. A graveyard just east of the church cemetery was begun in the 1850s for both slave and free black members. Used until c. 1896, it contains about 300 graves, 14 with engraved stones and the rest marked by fieldstones or unmarked. After 1865, black members of Allison Creek left to form Union Baptist (1892), Liberty Hill AME Zion (1896), and New Home AME Zion (1897).
Carver Theater
This Main Street theater was opened by Jessie Cox in 1947 and served as the first movie theater for African Americans in Rock Hill. The theater had nearly 500 people and was later turned into a pool hall. The building closed its doors in the 1970s.
Dori Sanders Peach Farm
Renowned author and farmer Dori Sanders can often be found at her Peach Farm Stand in Filbert. Her family operates one of the oldest African-American farms in the region. Her father, a former sharecropper, bought the land around 1915. The farm produces fruits and vegetables and specializes in growing Georgia Bells and Elberta peaches sold at an old roadside stand.
Hermon Presbyterian Church
This church was organized in 1869 with Rev. J.A. Rainey as its first pastor. It is one of the oldest institutions in Rock Hill. With support from Northern Presbyterians, it ran a private school as early as the 1880s and was a mission church until 1912. This Gothic Revival sanctuary, built by church members who were also brick masons and carpenters, was built between 1897 and 1903.
Hermon Presbyterian features a three-story tower and pointed-arch and quatrefoil stained-glass windows. The congregation was central to the local Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. Hermon Presbyterian Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 after the congregation moved to a new church 1 mile away. SW on Heckle Blvd. in 1999, this historic church became a community center.
Mount Prospect Baptist Church
This church was founded in 1883 and formally organized as First Baptist Church, Colored, in 1885. It was later renamed Mt. Prospect Baptist Church. In 1891, Mount Prospect hosted the first classes of Friendship College, founded by Rev. M.P. Hall to offer an education to Rock Hill blacks before there was a public school for them. The school held classes here until 1910. The second church burned in 1914, and this brick church, with Romanesque Revival elements, was built in 1915. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
New Mount Olivet AME Zion Church
Organized in 1873, this church has a rich history of justice and equality. First called Mt. Olivet Methodist Zion Church. This brick church was built 1923-27 under Revs. J.D. Virgil and C.L. Flowers. The church was renamed New Mount Olivet AME Zion Church in 1937. In May 1961, this church hosted a mass meeting to honor and support the Freedom Riders when an interracial group sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality launched the first Freedom Rides from Washington to New Orleans. The first violent opposition in the South occurred in the bus station in Rock Hill.
Sadler Store
This brick-veneered, wood-framed building was built in 1927 as a country store and opened by Williams Sadler. An African American businessman, Sadler had managed farmland and another store in McConnells, S.C., before opening the Sadler Store here on the outskirts of York in one of the town’s predominantly black neighborhoods. The adjacent one-story house was built simultaneously as the store and served as Sadler’s second family home. Upon Sadler’s death, his daughter Mary “Mamie” Sadler Crawford took over the store until the 1960s. She renamed it “Crawford’s” and added a lunch counter. It was one of York’s only black-owned businesses and a well-known gathering place for local African Americans and those traveling between Charlotte and Columbia. Crawford’s daughter, Mae Crawford Williams, kept the store open until 1997. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
