A focal point for many cities and towns across the Palmetto State,
rivers provide key elements, such as commerce, transportation,
sustenance, and recreation, in establishing a community's identity and
prosperity. The Catawba River is no exception. Flowing down from the
Piedmont region of North Carolina, this river has enjoyed a long and
fascinating history with the people of the Carolinas, from early
American Indian tribes to the first settlers of the colonies to today's
generations living in York, Chester, and Lancaster Counties. In this
volume of over 200 images, many seen here for the first time, you will
take a visual journey through a special part of South Carolina, where
the Catawba River functions as the life vein for the region and its
people. Along the Catawba River is not only a celebration of this
beautiful river, but serves as a fitting testimony to the hard work and
determination of the people who have carved out successful lives along
and near its bountiful banks. As you thumb through these pages, you will
meet the region's everyday citizens, such as farmers, merchants, and
community leaders; visit the early one-room schoolhouses that dotted the
landscape; explore the home and farms of turn-of-the-century families;
travel down unpaved streets and into early mills, general stores, and
churches; and see the people at work and at play in the area's smaller
communities, such as Van Wyck and Brattonsville, and in the larger
cities of Rock Hill, Chester, and Lancaster.
