former rock hill library
325 South Oakland Street
Postcard view of the Rock Hill Library after the building had been successfully moved by rolling it on logs, using mule power, to relocated the building to the current site.
Architect: James Knox Taylor
Builder: Unknown
Built: 1904
1940s image of the library courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History. Images were taken of all S.C. School and libraries for insurance purposes.
Main Street, ca. 1910 showing the library building in use as the Rock Hill Post Office (Rt), at the corner of East Main and Caldwell Streets, where the Gettys Center is currently located.
The Rock Hill Record reported June 17, 1904 contained an article on the construction of the new post office. It included a rendering of the new Post Office and stated, “that construction will begin at an early data. The supervising architect is James Knox Taylor.” Twenty years later Rock Hill had outpaced this building and needed a new PO and Federal Court facility.
Therefore, in 1923, the first public support for a permanent library came in the form of a tax levied within the Rock Hill School District and designated for library support. By 1924, a lot was purchased on South Oakland Avenue from St. John’s Methodist Church. In 1930, the old Post Office building was purchased, and the planned move of this historic Post Office building began.
This building, constructed on the corner of East Main and Caldwell Street, where the Gettys Center now sites was destined for a new purpose and home. It was slated to be replaced by a new Federal Building/Post Office and had to be moved, and Rock Hill residences felt it would serve well as the new library. The only problem was it had to be moved.
In the summer of 1931, the old post office was indeed moved from Main Street to the South Oakland Avenue property. This move was accomplished using mules and rolling the building on logs. G.O. Oates shared in 2016, that his great uncle, Ike Oates of Rock Hill helped move the library building. He stated, “All I know, is he was responsible for bring fresh mules to town, they rolled the building on logs. He said some days they wouldn’t move the building maybe 3 inches.” The new library was opened in this building in February 1932. A major renovation and addition in 1956-57 added a children’s library and additional space.
Today the building serves as professional office space.