History & Genealogy

In 1995, this 2,100 acre nature preserve was dedicated to the public to serve as a natural buffer from urban development and a place for countless activities – from hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, to picnics, kayaking and more. The Greenway holds a wealth of cultural resources, including the historic Nation Ford Road, which was part of the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, a pathway that was used by Native Americans, European settlers, Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers, traders and trappers for hundreds of years. In addition, the Greenway contains two circa-1800 log cabins, a dairy barn built in 1946 and the site of the Garrison-Webb gristmill for which Fort Mill is named. A part of Leroy Springs & Company,  Inc. and a site on the SC Ag + Art Tour. 

A marker notes the site of this Civil War battle which took place on April 18, 1865, one of the last during the conflict. On that day, about 250 Confederate soldiers and volunteers with the SC Home Guard fought the federal soldiers. The federal troops won the battle but their progress was delayed by a full day. During the conflict, First Lieutenant E. L. Stevens of the all-Negro 54th Massachusetts Infantry (depicted in the film, "Glory", starring Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman), was killed, thus distinguishing him as the last federal officer to die in the Civil War. The battle took place nine days after the end of the war had been declared. The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was the first group of former slaves and freemen to fight as a commissioned group. It is rumored that a slave in Boykin led soldiers of the 54th to the most strategic fighting locations in the surrounding woods. Twenty years later, the federal government sent a team to recover the bodies of the fallen soldiers. They were then buried in the National Cemetery, Florence, SC. This site has been named one of the "Top 10 Carolinas' Civil War Sites" by John Blair in his book, Touring the Carolinas' Civil War Sites.

Founded in 1764, this is one of the oldest churches in the region. A vast number of Revolutionary War patriots are buried in the church's cemetery. According to the History of the Presbyterian Church of Bethel (1938), Patrick Ferguson had made it known that upon leaving Kings Mountain, he intended to spend one night in Bethel Church, leave it in ashes by daylight, and be on the east side of the Catawba before nightfall. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of the oldest African-American church in the region. It was established shortly after the Civil War and is called the mother of all other local black churches. The grave of Ellison Sanders, who "was killed in 1884 because of his Democratic Principles",is located behind the church and the marker states that it was "erected by his white friends". Although regular services are no longer held at Blue Branch, the Friends of Blue Branch hold a camp meeting at the church on the first Sunday afternoon in September each year. Contact Billy Powell (864) 545-6370 or Johnny McKnight  (803) 927-7365.

This was one of several educational institutions for freed slaves and their children started by the Board of Missions for Freedmen of the Presbyterian Church USA. In 1866 Miss E.E. Richmond and Miss Carolyn I. Kent, both white, came from New York and New Jersey, respectively, to teach students in the Chester area. They operated a day school, a night school and a Sunday school. The school was formerly organized in 1868, and by 1913 there were ten grades (the 11th and 12th grades were added later). Brainerd was a feeder school for many colleges, including Allen University, Benedict College, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone College and Howard University. After high school enrollments declined in the 1930s, it became a junior college. The last class graduated in 1939. Today one building, Kumler Hall, remains on the 18-acre campus. In the late 1990s a local group generated national interest in preserving the school. Actress Phylicia Rashad and her sister, dancer Debbie Allen answered the call for support. Rashad purchased the property in honor of her mother, Vivian Ayers Allen, who was in its last graduating class. Both Rashad and Allen continue to assist programming and fundraising for the site being preserved for the establishment of a cultural center. Two historical markers commemorate Brainerd: the one on Cemetery Street designates Brainerd's inclusion on the National Register of Historical Places; the other, erected in 1997, is located near the site of the campus on Lancaster Street. On the National Register of Historical Places.

Burrel Hemphill was a slave in the household of the very wealthy bachelor, Robert Hemphill, during the Civil War. He, reportedly, was tortured to death by troops from Sherman’s Army. The story goes that when the soldiers approached the Hemphill estate, Robert fled to North Carolina. Burrel remained and the soldiers demanded that he reveal the hiding places of the Hemphill family's silverware, other valuables and money. Whether or not Burrel was actually privy to the information is not known. A granite monument erected by the white members of the Hopewell community in later years reads: "In Memory of Burrel Hemphill Killed by Union Soldiers February, 1865. Although a Slave He Gave His Life Rather Than Betray a Trust. He Was a Member of Hopewell". Off Hwy. 321 south of Chester.