About Gaffney, South Carolina

In 1803 Michael Gaffney established a store where two Indian trails crossed, the current intersection of the highways U.S. 29 and S.C. 11. His store flourished and soon a resort hotel was built near Limestone Springs. An iron works was established at Cherokee Ford on the Broad River.

As the settlement of Gaffney grew the hotel was converted into a college for women, it now houses the administrative offices of Limestone College. The railroad was built in 1873, the tracks were surveyed, streets laid out, homes and businesses were built. Gaffney was incorporated in 1857, Gaffney’s textile industry was established in 1887 and cotton became the major agricultural crop in the surrounding area.

In 1897 Cherokee County was formed and Gaffney became the county seat. Public utilities were established, dreams of a public library and hospital were realized. Agriculture and the spinning and weaving of cotton were the main employment until 1945. With the end of World War II, the diversification of industries began. Textiles remained strong with the addition of dyeing, finishing and apparel manufacturing. The metal fabricating industry discovered Gaffney, food processing became a major employer and distribution centers were built to utilize the highway and rail systems that were already in place. Cotton soon gave way to peaches and in 1957 the community reveled in the newest addition to Gaffney, the Cherokee Super Speedway, it started entertaining the local folks on a regular basis and has remained an integral part of the Gaffney genre every since.

Gaffney holds the “bragging rights” in several areas, the High school football team are the South Carolina State Champions for the years 2005 and 2006. The “Million Gallon Peach” water storage facility located at I-85 and the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway landmarks Gaffney on the South Carolina landscape. And lest we forget the notable sons and daughters of Gaffney include, Andie MacDowell the actor, Dominique Stevenson 2005 NFL player for the Washington Redskins, Arizona Reid college basketball player for the High Point Panthers and in the truest tradition of the region Kertus Davis a Busch Series NASCAR driver.