Editing Gaffney, South Carolina (section)

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2022}}
Michael Robert Gaffney was born in the town of [[Granard]] in County Longford, Ireland, in 1775.<ref>Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Winthrop University, "Michael Gaffney Biography 1775-1854 - Accession 132 - M59 (74)". Finding Aid 163.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/163</ref> He emigrated to the United States in 1797, arriving in [[New York City]] and moving to [[Charleston, South Carolina]], a few years later. Gaffney moved again in 1804 to the [[Upstate South Carolina|South Carolina Upcountry]] and established a tavern and lodging house at what became known as "Gaffney's Cross Roads". The location was perfect for growth because of the two major roads which met here, one from the mountains of [[North Carolina]] to Charleston and the other from [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]] into [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. Michael Gaffney died here on September 6, 1854.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Black |first=John |date=September 28, 1958 |title=Michael Gaffney (1775-1854), Upstate Pioneer |pages=1–2 |work=Spartanburg Herals |url=http://www.piedmont-historical-society.org/records/pdf/Michael-%20Gaffney-Braved-a-Wilderness%20plus.pdf |access-date=August 13, 2023}}</ref>

In 1872, the area became known as "Gaffney City". Gaffney became the county seat of Cherokee County which was formed out of parts of [[York County, South Carolina|York]], [[Union County, South Carolina|Union]], and [[Spartanburg County, South Carolina|Spartanburg]] counties in 1897. Gaffney became a major center for the [[textile industry]] in South Carolina, which was the backbone of the county's economy up until the 1980s.

Uptown Gaffney began to languish after [[Interstate 85]] was built in the county as industries located near the new highway.

Two serial killers have at different times attacked residents of Gaffney. In 1967–1968 [[Lee Roy Martin]], known as the Gaffney Strangler, killed four people; two were young girls, a fourteen-year-old and a fifteen-year-old.<ref>{{Cite web |last=PETERS |first=ROBERT W. DALTON and CRAIG |title=Gaffney Strangler terrorized town 40 years ago, murdering 4 women |url=https://www.goupstate.com/story/news/2009/07/05/gaffney-strangler-terrorized-town-40-years-ago-murdering-4-women/29885910007/ |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=Spartanburg Herald Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2009, a series of shootings by [[Patrick Tracy Burris]] led to five deaths.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8134728.stm |title=Americas &#124; US community fears serial killer |work=BBC News |date= July 5, 2009|access-date=2009-07-07}}</ref>