FortMillLiving.com
Title
Fort Mill Living
Description
In 1763, the English gave the Catawba Indians 144,000 acres of land as a reward for helping them defeat the French in the French and Indian War. The land covered what is now Fort Mill and Indianland. The Catawbas were constantly threatened by attacks from other warlike tribes including the Shawnees and the Cherokees. They asked that the colonial governor of North Carolina offer them protection by constructing a fort. At that time, the state line between North Carolina and South Carolina had not clearly been drawn. Construction of this fort was started but it was never completed. It is from this fort that the Town of Fort Mill drew part of its name. Years later, the area became part of South Carolina.
The Catawbas decided to capitalize on their land and lease it to settlers. The Indians had used stones to create an underwater roadbed in a shallow place in the river. Named Nation Ford after the Catawba Indian Nation, this provided the only crossing for many miles. In 1850 a railroad trestle bridge was erected over the ford. The road on each side of the ford became Nation Ford Road. This crossing brought traders to the area dating back to 1650. The road carried the traders from Pennsylvania to Charles Towne (now Charleston). Parts of this trail can still be seen on the Anne Springs Close Greenway.
Just a short distance from the Indian Fort, was a spring that provided fresh water for Indians and settlers for centuries. Kanawha Spratt camped there with his wife on the first night of their journey to Fort Mill. The Catawba approached them with an offer of 4,000 acres of land if they would stay and live among the tribe and Spratt became the first white settler. In October 1780, Lord Cornwallis and his troops camped at Spratts Spring on their withdrawal from Charlotte. Cornwallis had planned to cross the Catawba River at Nation Ford and move on to Winnsboro. However, the river was flooded with heavy rains, forcing the general and his troops to stay at the spring. Years later the waters from this spring were dammed and now the spring is under a lake.
Contact
- First Properties
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- Fort Mill SC
- US 29708
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- 2222
