Fort Mill History Museum Summer 2021 Newsletter

Volume 5, Issue 2 - Summer Edition | 2021

Recreation is a Joint Venture in Fort Mill

When the Fort Mill Aquatic Center opened in 2019, It solidified a tradition of town, school and industry providing a recreational outlet for a rapidly expanding population. In 2018, as Leroy Springs & Company (LS&C) focused its efforts on The Anne Springs Close Greenway, the Recreation Complex on highway 160 was gifted to the Town of Fort Mill. Partnering with Fort Mill Schools and the YMCA, the town began an effort to add an aquatics center capable of hosting Olympic level competition.

The Aquatic Center is the culmination of a cooperative process which began in the late 1940’s. Elliott White Springs, owner of Springs Mills, made a commitment to provide recreation facilities for the Springs Mills towns.

In the late 1940’s, Leroy Springs & Company (LS&C) began by building public golf courses in Fort Mill, Lancaster and Chester. In Fort Mill, the project expanded in 1953 when a small bowling alley and a swimming pool were added beside the golf course.

The swimming pool, which sat where the current golf course driving range is located, became the summer place to be with kids and adults in the “big pool” and a little pool and sunning area on the side where mothers could catch some rays and watch their toddlers splash around safely.

Cooperation with the Fort Mill Schools began early. In 1953, Fort Mill High School opened its new building on Academy and Banks Street surrounded by recreation opportunities. Tennis and golf and teams were given access to the facilities.

With Fort Mill growing steadily, in 1976, LS&C created a new state-of-the-art Recreation Complex. The facility included a large swimming complex, full gymnasium, racket ball and tennis courts, weight rooms and fields for soccer and baseball. The addition of the Aquatic Center added another dimension to the Complex.

From the time when Fort Mill had one small high school through the present with three high schools bursting at the seams, the town, the school district and the business community have continued to work together to provide the recreation opportunities vital to the growing Fort Mill community.

Mike & Cheryl Hill

Fort Mill History Museum Research Team

Photos provided by Mike Hill and Pete Armstrong

Springs of Achievement Sculpture Tours

Hurry purchase your tickets! Strap on your walking shoes and come enjoy the outdoors on the first ever Springs of Achievement walking tours. You will be treated to knowledgeable and enthusiastic Fort Mill guides as you learn about the history of these interesting sculptures.

Tours run Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings from June 3, 2021 – June 26, 2021. With tickets only $15, What a Bargain! Plus you’re helping the Fort Mill History Museum.

Fort Markers on Museum Grounds

Three significant historical markers pertaining to the Fort site have been relocated and erected on the grounds of the Fort Mill History Museum. The three markers were located just off Brickyard Road on the southside of Fort Mill and commemorate the colonial fort by which Fort Mill received its name. The fort was never built but the two post-type markers were located on two of the proposed fort cornerstones while the engraved marker was originally placed between the two cornerstone markers on the proposed spot of the fort. The engraved marker was later moved to the edge of Brickyard Road about 100 yards south of the Spratt Cemetery.

These three markers were relocated on the grounds of the museum to ensure their protection. The old fort site property is being developed and relocating them to the museum keeps these significant historical markers intact and available for relocation to a more permanent interpretative area in the future.

Special thanks to Lennar, Inc. for donating these items to the museum and allowing access to the property to retrieve them. Also, special thanks to fellow Fort Millians, Wayne and Danny Archie for retrieving, moving, and resetting them to the museum.

Fort Mill History Museum would like to recognize one of our outstanding volunteers, Carol Dixon.

One of the names synonymous with the Fort Mill History Museum is Carol Dixon. Carol has been involved with the museum’s entire timeline starting with the History Preservation Committee of Move Fort Mill Forward and later the museum’s official charter in 2010, was an original member of the board of directors, and just completed leading fundraising efforts with the Butter Braid Pastry Sale and the event Stroll Through the History of Fort Mill Festivals.

Carol is originally from West Virginia and she and husband Gary have lived in Fort Mill since 1980. Jobs with GE Credit, Hoechst Celanese, and World Travel Partners sharpened Carol’s leadership and management skills which are evident to anyone who has worked with her. Carol has the ability to identify a need and then to recruit and utilize volunteers to achieve the ultimate goal. One can expound endlessly on Carol’s participation in museum events, teams, financial accounting, and fundraising activities. Two typical examples were the Art on Main fundraisers held on Main Street in 2013 and 2014. These events were totally driven by Carol and involved the entire community and, of course, local area artists displaying their wares.

Other interests outside of the museum include ham radio and Carol is licensed as an Amateur Radio Operator by the FCC. Carol wanted to open her own business which led to My Place on Main, an upscale gift shop at 118 Main Street. Carol and Gary owned the building which later became the first site for the FMHM in 2011. Most importantly, Carol loves her time spent with her five grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Lastly, the town of Fort Mill dedicated December 9, 2015, as Carol Dixon Day for her many years of community service to the community.

Carol, thank you for your enduring time, enthusiasm, and dedication to the Fort Mill History Museum.

Rick Dammann

Fort Mill History Museum Volunteer

“Game On” for the “Let’s Make the Mortgage History” Campaign

The Kick-off was held on the FMHM “Let’s Make the Mortgage History” campaign with the successful Butter Braid sales and thanks to everyone who participated! The Butter Braid sales contributed over $1,700 to help the museum eliminate our mortgage by December 31, 2022.

By achieving this goal, the museum will be agile and able to deliver even more exciting and engaging events for the community.

Each one of us can help achieve our goal by:

Telling your friends, neighbors, and co-workers about our initiative.
Jumping in and participating with the campaign events and activities!
Challenging your business to actively support “The FM Nation!”
Sharing creative fundraising ideas to generate energy and dollars!
Making an extra donation above and beyond your current giving level!

Don’t stay on the sidelines, jump in the game to help "Paint" the house!

Fort Mill History is Alive on the FMHM Website

The Fort Mill History Museum is constantly looking for ways to accomplish its mission to preserve Fort Mill’s heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.

One of the most recent efforts undertaken by the museum is to update the FMHM website with a section dedicated to some of Fort Mill’s history. Topics covered by the museum include cemeteries, historic homes and buildings, parks and recreational venues, some of Fort Mill’s famous residents, and the people and stories behind some of Fort Mill’s streets and roads.

This enormous project represents a large investment of time and research, but is seen as vital to spread awareness of Fort Mill’s history and to create opportunities for learning, even for those who are unable to visit the museum in person. The endeavor is new and dynamic, with more information being added as research is completed.

Fort Mill History Museum’s research team has been instrumental in populating the site with information about these various topics. This new team, founded in 2020, meets monthly to update each other on topics of research, to coordinate research efforts and brainstorm resources, and to discuss field trips to gain more understanding of community resources and to spearhead collaboration with nearby communities.

The museum is always seeking opportunities to meaningfully expand its collection and extend its influence to accomplish its vision as the source in preserving, educating, and communicating Fort Mill’s history. If you would like to be a part of this effort, please reach out and see how you can be involved. You can contact the museum via email at info@fmhm.org.

Megan Brinton

Fort Mill History Museum Research Team

Did you know - The first picnic and barbeque ever held in Fort Mill township occurred on the 4th of July 1849. The picnic was held near the site of the Springs bridge over the Southern railway, a few miles north of town, and was planned to work up sentiment for the proposed railroad between Charlotte and Columbia. – Fort Mill Times July 8, 1920

Greetings to members and friends of the Fort Mill History Museum (FMHM). My name is Chuck Epps and I am proud to serve on the Board of Directors of the FMHM and am completing my first year of service. I am one of a dwindling number of Fort Mill natives that have lived here for most of my life. I have witnessed Fort Mill grow from a small town to a bustling and thriving suburb of the Charlotte region. During my day job, I serve as the Superintendent for the Fort Mill Schools. I suspect I was asked to be a FMHM board member as a representative of the school district and to bring that perspective to the table. I believe the schools are part of the interwoven fabric of a community and that is certainly true here.

Dealing with rapid growth and increased diversity are primary challenges for the district. I believe the schools have done an admirable job of blending the old with the new and I hope to continue that effort on the Museum Board. It is my goal that residents point to the school district as a positive contributor to the excellent quality of life we all enjoy as residents of this great town.

I did participate with the earliest organizational meetings of the FMHM and I hope to bring value to the Board in my current role. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any other Board members to provide input and suggestions for this important work. By highlighting our past history, the FMHM hopes to ensure our town enjoys a successful future.

Dr. Chuck Epps

Fort Mill History Museum Board of Directors

Thank you to the Fort Mill Garden Club for your generous donation to the faucet relocation and continued care of our flower beds.
Carolyn Blair for your timely donation to the water project.
Carol Dixon for all the work you did towards our very successful Butter Braid fundraiser.
Carol Dixon and her team for the coordination of the Stroll through the Fort Mill festival event.
Danny & Wayne Archie for relocating the old fort markers.
David Nelson with Lennar, Inc. for donation of the old fort markers to the museum.
Facilities team for maintaining the property.
Jennifer Morton and Monique Kilpatrick for the coordination of the Scavenger Hunt.
Improper Pig for hosting our spirit night and all our supporters for coming out.
Jake Humburg for web design and improvements.

Thank You Gracie!

FMHM was proud to host a Winthrop Intern for the Spring 2021 semester. Pictured left to right: Ginger Williams (Winthrop University and FMHM Board member), Gracie Martin (Winthrop Intern) and Charlotte Adkins (FMHM Intern Coordinator and volunteer).

Thanks to Ginger for helping the museum obtain an intern for the semester and thanks to Charlotte for working and guiding Gracie on several projects. Thanks Gracie for all that you did, we wish you the best in your future endeavors!