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I see on an 1825 map that the town was named Spartanburgh -- somewhere along the line it lost the "h". A history buff friend thinks there was a push by the Federal government at some point to get towns ending in -burgh to switch to -burg (Pittsburgh PA being a notable holdout).
Any local history buff out there know when this happened, and why?
I have an old diary my great, great, great gramps had. He talks on one page about taking in former slaves to Spartanburgh, with an H, shortly after they were freed.
I have an old diary my great, great, great gramps had. He talks on one page about taking in former slaves to Spartanburgh, with an H, shortly after they were freed.
That’s cool to have a diary like that. We have a family Bible with all the births, marriages, deaths back to the mid-1800s but to actually read about their day-to-day life would be fascinating.
That’s cool to have a diary like that. We have a family Bible with all the births, marriages, deaths back to the mid-1800s but to actually read about their day-to-day life would be fascinating.
We have one like that too!
I like reading his diary from time to time. Its more like a journal of what he bought when, and how much, what he sold and how much, etc. etc. His son and grandson did the same thing, but I don have those. My brother has my great gramps with all of his contacts he sold, uh, illegal liquor to, how much sugar etc for his recipe, how many chickens he bought, he was actually a chicken farmer. I barely remember him, but we played around the old house and chicken barns growing up after he passed away in like 71 or 72. House has changed hands a few times now, and was renovated and modernized not long ago. If you recall, a few years ago, the lady from Charter disappeared and was found murdered a few days later? It was at that house where she was found.
I like reading his diary from time to time. Its more like a journal of what he bought when, and how much, what he sold and how much, etc. etc. His son and grandson did the same thing, but I don have those. My brother has my great gramps with all of his contacts he sold, uh, illegal liquor to, how much sugar etc for his recipe, how many chickens he bought, he was actually a chicken farmer. I barely remember him, but we played around the old house and chicken barns growing up after he passed away in like 71 or 72. House has changed hands a few times now, and was renovated and modernized not long ago. If you recall, a few years ago, the lady from Charter disappeared and was found murdered a few days later? It was at that house where she was found.
The real question is "When did it become Sparkle City?"
I found this:
... In 1956, four boys from Cowpens High School formed a rock band named The Sparkletones. 1957 they signed with the ABC Paramount record label after winning a local talent contest. The Sparkletones had multiple Billboard Top 100 hits, with “Black Slacks” becoming their most popular song. They worked with Paul Anka and performed on American Bandstand, The Nat King Cole Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. The group broke up in 1961 but did occasional reunion shows around South Carolina in the 1980s. Their glory days coined “Sparkle City” as their hometown’s nickname. ...
I see on an 1825 map that the town was named Spartanburgh -- somewhere along the line it lost the "h". A history buff friend thinks there was a push by the Federal government at some point to get towns ending in -burgh to switch to -burg (Pittsburgh PA being a notable holdout).
Any local history buff out there know when this happened, and why?
Interesting question. It's hard to find a single event that defines the name change. Handwritten pages from the 1840 Census refer to Spartanburgh District, but by the 1850 Census and beyond, the census reports are recorded as Spartanburg. Regardless, Tanner's Universal Atlas of 1836 spells the name as Spartanburg. The earliest newspaper I could find was a July 1844 copy of The Spartan, which carried a byline of Spartanburg, SC.
In his definitive 1900 "History of Spartanburg County", Dr J B O Landrum ignored the issue altogether, using only the current spelling throughout his book. The only exception other than direct quotes was a couple explanatory sentences: "It will be noticed that in the statutory words of the act of the legislature of 1785, by which the original county of Spartanburg was laid out as a part of the old District of Ninety-six, the name Spartanburgh was adopted and incorporated into the act. The last syllable burgh was simply a suffix agreed upon and added to the old name Spartan. By common consent and modern usage the letter " h " has been dropped, leaving the word as we now have it, Spartanburg."
As far as the nickname, Sparkle City, I've heard the connection to the Sparkletones. That may be it's actual source, but as teenagers in the mid '60's, we frequently used it in a derogatory sense, complaining about the dullness and lack of things to do in town. Then again, I suspect that was a common complaint for most teenagers growing up in small Southern towns.
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