Editing Clover, South Carolina (section)

== History ==
Clover was founded just north of an earlier settlement, New Centre, which had waned during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. The pivotal [[American Revolutionary War]] [[battle of Kings Mountain]] occurred approximately eight miles to the west of modern-day Clover, on October 7, 1780.

Prior to Clover's founding, Bethany and [[Bethel Presbyterian Church (Clover, South Carolina)|Bethel]], communities to the west and east, respectively, were primary population centers in northern York District, with well-established [[Presbyterian]] churches, post offices and stores serving the area's numerous cotton farms.

The village of Clover began as a railway stop in 1876, midway between [[York, South Carolina|Yorkville]], and modern-day [[Gastonia, North Carolina]], when the first railroad tracks were laid through the northern section of the county.

Before the Civil War, the [[Kings Mountain Railroad]] had operated as far north as Yorkville from Chester, but the tracks were destroyed during the war. In 1873, the [[Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad]] was officially chartered and acquired the Kings Mountain rights of way. By 1875, new, [[narrow-gauge railway]] replaced the remnants of the former Kings Mountain line, and the following year the tracks were extended from Yorkville to Gaston County, North Carolina. A water tank for the railway's [[steam locomotive]]s was constructed midway between Gastonia and Yorkville.

According to lore, the overflow of water from the railway's water tank fertilized a patch of [[clover]], and the stop was called "the clover patch." The town was officially incorporated in 1887.

It later became the home of several cotton mills, many of which operated until after [[World War II]].

The [[Bethel Presbyterian Church (Clover, South Carolina)|Bethel Presbyterian Church]] and [[Clover Downtown Historic District]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>