Our upcoming events are listed on our home page. See the information below about of our past events.
2023 Events
Yorkville Historical Society Meetings:
- January 26, 2023 We had a wonderful turnout at our January General Membership meeting. Being a covered-dish event, it showcased a lot of really great cooks’ dishes and with the number of recipe requests that evening we’re thinking that maybe putting together another YHS cookbook is in our future. Our Vice President, Mr. Mickey Peake, presented the Board Nominees and Executive Board for 2023. After allowing for any dissenting votes the Board and Executive Board received unanimous support from the members.
- March 30, 2023 York, SC city manager Mr. Dalton Pierce made a presentation and answered questions related to York SC projects.
- May 25, 2023 Beth Bailey-Johnston, Chairperson for the Board of Architectural Review made a presentation about what the BAR does, how it functions, decisions it has responsibility for, and answered questions about properties located within the Historic District.
Other Events
- April 15, 2023 Moore Park Clean Up Initiative
The Yorkville Historical Society in collaboration with the City of York made great progress on the Moore Park Clean Up. Vines were clipped, plantings trimmed, mulch was spread, and other lawn maintenance work was done to improve this beautiful park.
2022 Events
2022 Yorkville Historical Society Meetings:
- March 31, 2022 John Love spoke about the history of the YHS and its accomplishments at our meeting at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 108 East Liberty Street, York, SC 29745.
- April 28, 2022 Russell Propst made a wonderful presentation about our fabulous tour book at our meeting at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 108 East Liberty Street, York, SC 29745.
- May 26, 2022 Zachary Lemhouse, Historian with the Culture and Heritage Museums, gave an update on current happenings at the four York County Museums. This meeting was at The Church of the Good Shepherd, 108 East Liberty Street, York, SC 29745.
- June, July, August 2022 There were no meetings during our summer break.
- September 29, 2022 John Skardon, from the York County Library Reference and Genealogy Department, was our presenter. Along with other topics, he spoke about the York County Library Genealogy & Family History Expo on Saturday, October 15, 2022
- October 27, 2022 This was our last general membership meeting for the year. This was a “Year in Review” to talk about some pretty cool things that the Historical Society has accomplished this year, as well as some of the exciting things planned in the upcoming year!
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2022 Yorkville Historical Society Other Events:
- Juneteenth Celebration June 17, 2022, This wonderful event was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 108 East Liberty Street, York, SC 29745. This event included a delicious catered dinner, music by Common Ground Jazz Band, performances by Shape Note Singers of Hickory Grove and premier food service by Just Wright Catering. This event was free to the community. Reservations were required, and all available reservations were taken.
- Ice Cream Social June 30, 2022, at Moore Park, 2 Kings Mountain Street, York, SC 29745. Music was provided by Zach Lemhouse and talented friends. Ice Cream was provided by Scoops.
- Historic Yorkville Holiday Home Tour December 11 and 12, 2022 We hosted our annual holiday tour in the beautiful Historic District of York, SC. This favorite tradition showcased private homes and a church lovingly decorated for the holidays.
2021 Events
- YHS Quilt Show, August 27 and 28, 2021 We were excited to sponsor a non-judged quilt show as part of Summerfest 2021. We had more than 40 quilts for this show, including Antique/Vintage quilts dating from 1869 as well as contemporary quilts. This event was held at The Church of the Good Shepherd, 108 East Liberty Street, York, SC from 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. both days.
- Decorated Homes and Sites in Beautiful Historic York, SC during weekends in December – We welcomed visitors to York in December to see beautifully decorated exteriors of homes and sites. There were beautiful lights, garlands, wreaths, bows, greenery, and other personal touches. Luminarias were lit on Saturday evenings throughout the month of December at many of the homes.
2020 Events
2020 Yorkville Historical Society Meetings:
- January 30, 2020 Our banquet was held at First Presbyterian Church, 10 West Liberty Street, York, SC
- February 27, 2020 We were delighted that Strauss Moore Shiple was our speaker. Along with having a long list of accomplishments and community involvement projects, Strauss is the York County representative to the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission, and her presentation focused on the mission of that organization. Web sites: http://scaaheritagefound.org //greenbookofsc.com
- ***** Canceled ***** March 26, 2020 John Shiflet was scheduled to speak about the history of and the future plans for York Place.
2020 Yorkville Historical Society Other Events:
- York Tour March 12, 2020 by the Rock Hill Garden Club From our excellent tour guide Russell Propst: The Rock Hill Garden Club arranged for a roughly 1-hour York Tour on March 12, 2020. 14 members attended. The tour centered at the granite monument on the corner of Liberty and Congress Streets. The tour was also a preview of the new book A Guide to Olde York, coming April 20, 2020. It included Catawba and Cherokee use of the area, prehistoric Indian paths that are now city streets, and the staunch alliance of Catawba warriors with York County settlers and Patriot forces in South Carolina. We learned of the invention of Guerrilla warfare in our area, the first known training in Guerrilla war, and where it occurred in York County. We talked about the area’s importance in the Revolutionary War, viewed a map of the 50 battles and events in the area that were key in winning the war, and events at the crossroads that became York’s square. We explained the people listed on the granite marker. We described how York County and York City were born and saw copies of the 1786 Village Plan for Yorkville. We saw the oldest lots at the square, and the oldest buildings near the square – – including the 1828 County Jail, 1828 Latta House, 1829 Moore House, and 1839 Bratton Building. We talked about the first courthouse and jail buildings in 1786, and the fourth courthouse we have today. We talked about famous architects that designed buildings near the square – – and pointed out the types of architecture you can see at the square, as shown on pictures we displayed. We noted where Jefferson Davis and his cabinet stayed as they fled Richmond at the end of the Civil War. We talked about Reconstruction, when York County residents in Ebenezer, Sharon, Bullock Creek, the area north of York and elsewhere drove events that brought the U.S Army to York to restore order – – and the building where they set up state and county headquarters. We saw the building where Klan meetings were held by the leader of the 45 dens throughout York County. We closed the tour by talking about the Circus Days in York, and where the Lone Ranger tied up Silver and tied one on. We stood where Santa rode by riding Big Alice, the 7400-lb elephant.
- Christmas in Old York during the weekends in December 2020
Previous Years Events:
Previous Holiday Tour of Homes and Sites:
Christmas in Olde York 2019 Holiday Tour of Homes and Sites
Christmas in Olde York 2018 Holiday Tour of Homes and Sites
Christmas in Olde York 2017 Holiday Tour of Homes and Sites
Christmas in Olde York 2016 Holiday Tour of Homes and Sites