History of
Van Wyck, SC
Timeline
The Waxhaw and Catawba Indians called this area home well before our ancestors. These indigenous people farmed the fertile land and hunted the woods. which were abundant with deer, turkey and other wildlife.
Our Scoth-Irish forefathers called this area their home beginning in the 1760's. After living in Carrickfergus, county Antrim, North Ireland for a generation, these people sought out a better life in the New World.
Van Wyck, as we know it, did not come into existence until the late 1880's. Cocheecho, the original name chosen for Van Wyck, was named for a young Indian chief. By the time the railroad was built, the Indian name was discarded and the community was known as "Little Waxhaw".
As recorded by the National Archives and Record Service, Washington, D.C., the Van Wyck Post Office was established on June 25. 1889. The post office was located in various stores on the Main Street of Van Wyck until 1974, then was moved to new quarters next to Jingle Jungle.
Ashe Brick Company was founded before the turn of the century. Mr. William Newton Ashe began making brick by hand from clay mixed in a mule-drawn mixer in his father's pasture in McConnelsviille. Later his brick business was moved to Greer and in 1903 to Rock Hill. In 1906 it was located in Van Wyck near the pits that furnished clay for the plant.
The Ashe Ferry was built in 1927 and 1928 by the Ashe Brick Company. Roads were constructed by company help using mules and drag pans. Ashe's Ferry was taken over by the state in 1941 and closed in 1959 when the Bradford-Ashe bridge was built.
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About us
On September, 2023, the Van Wyck Historical Society was formed. Our purpose is to collect and preserve the history, memories and lore of Van Wyck, South Carolina, in the form of documents, articles, photographs and written or recorded memoirs. This Web site is a part of that effort.
