Volume 7, Issue 3- Fall Edition | 2023 | |
Trains, Planes and Swimming Pools: Springs Park Lancaster | |
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There was no Carowinds, no Six Flags, and even Disneyland was a “Wish Upon a Star”
away. There was, however, in the middle of nowhere, Springs Park, Lancaster. Nestled near the Catawba River as it heads toward Great Falls, Colonel Elliott Springs created his own Fantasyland. There was no Jiminy Cricket or Tinkerbell but there may have been just a little bit of Peter Pan lingering inside “The Colonel”.
Sure, he was a World War I Ace, a brilliant industrialist, an advertising innovator and a
successful writer but there was always room to play. After all, he had to find a place for his three WWII surplus planes and a kiddie sized steam locomotive. Springs Park was just fun. Moms and Dads from Fort Mill and nearby towns could pack up the kids and have a day full of family entertainment. For the ten and under crowd, there were
two World War II fighter planes. Of course, the planes were defanged and all the dangerous parts removed.
Lunch was also an aeronaut’s delight. Hot dogs and hamburgers were served up fresh
cooked from the belly of a B24 Liberator Bomber and eaten on picnic tables in the enclosed area under the massive wings. There were wooden stairs leading up to the cockpit of the bomber too but wasps seemed partial to the area and a sting from one of those miniature Messerschmitts put an end to the fun for a while.
For the train lover there was a miniature steam engine which pulled three open gondola
cars each big enough to squeeze in half a dozen kids. A grown-up engineer, sometimes the Colonel himself, sat astride the locomotive so kids could take a lap or two around the 900 yard oval track giggling to the sound of the steam whistle and waving at parents left behind at the gate. The park also offered a skating rink, a miniature golf course and an old-fashioned merry-go-round. The skating rink doubled as a performance area for performers like Jimmy Dean, Minnie Pearl and Little Jimmy Dickins.
Springs Park was born again in the 1960’s with the addition of an Olympic-size
swimming pool complete with a diving tower and an amphitheater that seated several thousand spectators. A lodge house and tents nearby allowed hundreds of young campers to spend a week of swimming, paddle boating and hiking at Camp Springs.
With the competition of Carowinds and a changing world, Springs Park closed its doors
in 1989. Hastened by abuse and neglect, nature has reclaimed the park, the 10 meter diving tower has collapsed into the graffiti-covered pool and the park is only a memory.
Mike & Cheryl Hill
FMHM Research Team Members
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Pioneer Crafts
Saturday, August 12
8:30 AM -12:30 PM
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FM History 101 Walking Tour
Saturday, August 12 & 26
10:00-11:00 AM
Additional dates can be found on our website at fmhm.org/events
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Making Bones Talk with Dr. Susan Andrews
Tuesday, September 12
12:00-1:00 PM
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Coming Soon
October 2023
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Downtown Community Dinner
Saturday, October 7
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The Party is Continuing!
Happy 150 Fort Mill!
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Fort Mill continues to celebrate being 150 years young, with special town events and promotions and activities from the museum. So, stay connected with the museum’s social venues and website so you can keep the party going! For more information on the Town's Celebration, click here. | |
York County SC 250 Committee | |
The York County SC 250 committee has been established to celebrate the tremendous contribution the county provided during the American Revolution. Check out the Facebook Page here for updates and here all about it on WRHI's Straight Talk here. | |
Thank you to Debi Cloninger and the York County Council. A donation was made to the Fort Mill History Museum through the York County Council's discretionary funds in support of all that the museum is doing. FMHM is so grateful to have the support of our partners in continuing to tell Fort Mill's history. | |
We are excited to say that in January we paid off our mortgage! We are however facing some major repairs on the building which is one of the oldest structures in Fort Mill. Please consider giving to this fund so that we can provide a safe place for our visitors to hear Fort Mill's Story. | | |
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Giving to your local museum ensures that your dollars stay in your community along with supporting programs for you, our children and our neighbors. Please consider giving to help us enjoy more programs and activities and improve our quality of life. | |
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A BIG Thank you to the Fort Mill School Board of Trustees for coming and taking our FM History 101 Tour!
We appreciate them giving up their time to learn more about the history of Fort Mill to help better serve the children of our town.
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Southern Railroad Pedestrian Foot Bridge | |
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Railroads played a significant role in the founding and growth of Fort Mill. In the 1840’s, the concept of a railroad running through present day Fort Mill was pursued by local businessmen and the prominent White and Springs families. The first train came through Fort Mill on July 04, 1852. The first passenger depot was also built in Fort Mill in 1852. Around 1890, a freight depot was constructed across from the passenger depot near the present day Main and White Streets intersection. Passenger train service was discontinued in 1966. The freight depot was last used in 1975.
As the town began to grow in the late 1800’s, trains coming through town tended to be long. Pedestrians sometimes had a lengthy wait to cross the railroad tracks. As the original passenger depot was on the opposite side of the tracks from downtown businesses, passengers sometimes had to cross over the tracks to board or disembark. To ease the wait time and increase safety for passengers, the railroad erected a pedestrian foot bridge across the tracks about 100 yards north of the Main Street crossing. The foot bridge was completed on July 30, 1901. Townspeople loved it, especially the children. The town congratulated the railroad for manifesting goodwill with the town’s people.
In September, 1907, an ordinance was ratified that used the bridge as a central point to define the various voting ward boundaries within the town. Ward 1 began from the southwest corner, Ward 2 began from the northwest corner, Ward 3 began from the northeast corner, and Ward 4 began from the southeast corner of the bridge.
The foot bridge served the people of Fort Mill for over 50 years until it was taken down by the railroad in December 1951. It had outlived its usefulness, but still held a sentimental spot in the hearts of many of Fort Mill’s older citizens and for children to climb up and over for the novelty.
Joe Cantrell
FMHM History Research Team Member
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Kay Dabney is one of the nicest ladies you will ever meet, and she has a sweet Southern accent. For more than 40 years she worked in the Executive Offices of the Springs Mills.
Yet, strangely enough, she has never stepped foot in an actual cotton mill. “I just never had the occasion to go into the mills,” said Kay.
She was born on a cotton farm in Kershaw, SC, and had seven siblings. Her family grew up in Lancaster, SC, and her father worked part-time for the Springs Mills. When Kay was ready for college, Springs Mills paid her tuition for a two-year secretarial course at Winthrop College.
After college, her mom told her to go to work for Springs Mills and her dad made sure she had an interview. When Kay went to work, she received a payment book to pay back her college costs. There was no interest and payments were spread over 10 years.
Kay’s first job was working for the assistant plant manager in Lancaster, and she got the reputation for being, “the college girl who could take dictation and type really fast.”
Where did Kay find a husband? At the office, of course. Andrew Bailey Dabney, Jr., was an industrial engineer. They were married 52-years. When she and her husband moved to Fort Mill, Kay met Mary Sue Wolfe who introduced her to her new boss, Bill Close, who at that time, oversaw eight mills. She and Mary Sue have been best friends for 67 years. Kay took off several years to have her three children, but was always called back, especially to Bill Close’s office. “He liked my dictation skills, and I always had his letters typed and on his desk within 30 minutes or less,” Kay said. One of Kay’s special memories include keeping company with Prince Ranier of Monaco, while his wife, Grace Kelly, met with Springs executives regarding a design she had created. “He loved my Southern accent,” she said. It is also interesting to note that Kay has lived on Close Street in Fort Mill for 60 years.
“It is great having Kay as a valuable member of the museum's volunteer team. She shares stories of families, places, and events she experienced in Fort Mill while also giving insight to the years she worked in the Springs Executive Office. Thanks, Kay, for your commitment and service and making the museum an enjoyable place to learn about Fort Mill and share some laughs along the way,” said David Ward, Executive Board Member.
Pat Crigler
FMHM Creative Writer
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Do you have any unique items significant to Fort Mill’s History you would like to donate to the museum? If so, please send an email to Carson Cope– Collections Manager at carson@fmhm.org with a description of the item(s) and picture if possible. Thanks for
helping to preserve Fort Mill’s past.
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The Celebrators
On July 19, The Celebrators, a monthly lunch group at the First Baptist Church, listened as storyteller Pat Crigler, told them about four interesting men and their accomplishments in the textile mills of Fort Mill. Vern Nine brought his poster of pictures of the people of FM. Afterward, the attendees shared past memories about the town and enjoyed looking at old pictures. Pat and Vern are both volunteers at FMHM.
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Did you know? The Fort Mill Rescue Squad helped a drowned man find himself. On August 16, 1958, the Fort Mill Rescue Squad was called out about 9 p.m. to the Buster Boyd Bridge vicinity to assist in the search for the body of James Blake, 30, of Charlotte who was reported to have drowned. The local squad joined other squads from Rock Hill, Charlotte, Mount Holly, Kings Mountain, and Gaston County in the search. Fort Mill Rescue Squad member, Jr. Funderburk said Blake was in their boat with fellow squad member Monk Benfield when he found out he was the guy everyone was looking for. Blake said he fell asleep in a boat house and then saw everyone dragging for someone and wanted to help. – Fort Mill Times August 21, 1958 | |
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Greetings! My name is Eddie Young and I’m honored to be a Fort Mill History Museum
Board Member. My family includes my wife Adrienne and our two sons, Emmanuel and
Elisha. In the community, I’m the Career Development Facilitator at Fort Mill High
School, Assistant Head Football Coach at Banks Trail Middle School, founder of the
Fort Mill Saints 7v7 football organization, and Director of Educational Activities for the
Sigma Tau Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
Being on the FMHM allows me another opportunity to positively impact our community, a need shaped by two factors: my Christian faith and African-American heritage. Specifically, Romans 12:1 (NLT) says “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.” Moreover, the 6th principle of Kwanzaa, Kuumba or Creativity, implores us “To always do as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.”
I’m excited to serve on the Board, and look forward to continuing serving our
community. If you ever see me around town, feel free to strike up a conversation! I can’t wait to meet you!
Eddie Young
FMHM Board Member
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Back Window Podcast with Mike Hill
We have a new addition to our Newsletter.
Friend of the Museum and Fort Mill native Mike Hill has a series of podcasts about growing up in Fort Mill in the 1950’s, ‘60s and 70’s when it was still a small town. You can listen to all the podcasts here or search Back Window on the Spotify App.
The podcast is of Mike Hill’s impressions of Fort Mill at the time and are not meant to be historically accurate.
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107 Clebourne Street, Fort Mill, SC 29715 | phone: 803-802-3646
Located in the Fort Mill Historic District
FMHM.ORG
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The Fort Mill History Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Support for this project is provided by the SCPRT TAG,
Town of Fort Mill & York County Accommodations Tax, FMHM members and donors.
For visitors information including lodging, contact Visit York County at 803-329-5200.
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