Rock Hill Depots

Front: The first of six railroad depots was built here in 1851 on the Charlotte & S.C. RR, after the citizens of Ebenezer objected to a new railroad yard proposed there. The town that grew up here was named Rock Hill after the flint hill found when the railroad bed was excavated. The six depots built here between 1851 and 1912 served passengers and freight for a combined 122 years. The two-story brick depot built nearby in 1912 was a local landmark until it was torn down in 1973. Reverse: From 1891 to 1918 a street railway connected Railroad Ave., the depots, Main St., and Winthrop College. Nicknamed “Rock Hill Electric Railway,” it was pulled by mules named “Lec” and “Tric” for 21 years, then ran on battery power. Its rails were salvaged during World War II. Railroad Ave. was renamed Trade St. by 1920, as the largest retail center in the area. Trade St. was all but eliminated by urban renewal in 1973.