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York County, South Carolina
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====Early 19th century through Civil War==== With the introduction of the [[cotton gin]] in the 1790s, the county's economic prospects increased as the importance of [[cotton|"King Cotton"]] grew, and slavery became an integral part of the economy. In 1800, 25% of all white families in the Upcountry enslaved people, but by 1820, nearly 40% were enslavers. Slavery expanded significantly in York County between 1800 and 1860, with most enslaved on small and medium-sized farms rather than more extensive plantations. In 1800, whites made up 82.10% of the total population in York County, but by 1860, the white percentage of the total population had dropped to 62.50%. Figures from 1860 reveal that enslavement in York County had decreased, with approximately 70% of all farms enslaving fewer than ten people and less than 3% of the farms with 50 or more. The proportion of York District farms in 1860 was: * Less than {{convert|50|acre|km2}}: 20% * 51 to 100 acres (0.2 to {{convert|0.4|km²|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}): 23.9% * 101 to 500 acres (0.4 to {{convert|2|km²|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}): 53.9% * More than {{convert|500|acre|km2}}: 2.7% In 1810, the York District had an increased population of more than 10,000, of which over 3,000 were enslaved. By 1850, York District included 15,000 residents, over 40% enslaved. On the eve of the American Civil War, the county's population had grown to approximately 21,500, with almost 1/2 enslaved laborers. York County was heavily tied to agriculture, with 93% of the workforce raising crops in 1850, while the rest of the United States averaged a 78% agricultural workforce. In 1825, only three post offices operated in York County, at Yorkville, Blairsville, and Hopewell, but by 1852, York District had 27. The county's first newspaper, ''The Yorkville Pioneer'', was established in 1823 (it ran for little more than a year), and several other attempts followed until ''The Yorkville Enquirer'' was first published in 1855 (and which remains in publication today). Chartered in 1848, the Kings Mountain Railroad Company began construction of a connecting line between Yorkville and the [[Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad|Charlotte and South Carolina Railway]] at Chester (completed in 1852). [[Rock Hill, South Carolina|Rock Hill]], located along the Charlotte and South Carolina route, rapidly developed as a transportation center in eastern York County, boasting 100 residents in 1860. At the American Civil War outbreak, more than a dozen academies were operating in the county. The Kings Mountain Military Academy in Yorkville was the most famous, founded in 1854 by Micah Jenkins and Asbury Coward. On the eve of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], York District was one of the more populated districts in Upstate South Carolina.<ref name=willoughby>{{cite book | last=Willoughby| first=Lynn| title=The "Good Town" Does Well: Rock Hill, S.C., 1852–2002| year=2002| publisher=Written in Stone| location=Orangeburg, SC| isbn=0966970721}}, p. 35</ref> There were 14 [[infantry]] companies formed in York County after South Carolina declared secession. Of the 4,379 soldiers enlisted from York County, 805 died, and many more were wounded.<ref>Willoughby, Lynn; p. 35</ref> Only one minor battle was fought in the York District, the battle for the Catawba Bridge at Nations Ford in 1865.
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