Seneca, South Carolina

Seneca, South Carolina
City
Seneca City Hall
FIPS code		45-65095[4]
GNIS feature ID	1250833[2]
Website	www.seneca.sc.us

Seneca is a city in

, which English colonists knew as "Seneca Town".

History

In the antebellum period, this area was part of the Pickens District, South Carolina. The state had used jurisdictions such as parish, county, district, and county again in its history. Oconee County was not organized until 1868, after the American Civil War.

Seneca was founded in 1873, during the Reconstruction era, as the railroad town "Seneca City", named for the Seneca River and a historic Cherokee town known as Isunigu. It was called Seneca in a kind of transliteration by British colonists.

Seneca City was developed at the intersection of the

on March 14, 1874. In 1908, the name was changed to the shorter Seneca.

Seneca developed as a marketing and shipping point for cotton, the major commodity crop in this uplands area. During the harvest, wagons bringing cotton would line up for blocks from the railroad station. A passenger terminal, several hotels, and a park were built near the railroad tracks. Recently, this park was named the Norton-Thompson Park in honor of the city's founders.

The first school was built in 1874. The community also was home of the

. It was reserved for African-American students until 1939.

Textile mills were built in the area; a plant-and-mill village was built in 1893 by the Courtenay Manufacturing Company in

. Its workforce was integrated, unlike most other plants that hired only whites. Many other textile mills were developed in this area. These plants were the main industry for Seneca for the first half of the twentieth century. With the shift of these jobs overseas, these textile mills are now closed.

In the late 20th century, major dam projects were constructed n the Keowee and other local rivers, to support recreation and public utilities. These projects created three major lakes:

Oconee Nuclear Station

was built on Lake Keowee, drawing cooling water for its operations from the lake.

The recreation provided by the lakes, and other attractions, such as nearby Clemson University attracted many retirees from other parts of the country. Retirement communities have been built in the area.^[5] Concerned about over-development, some residents formed the Friends of Lake Keowee Society (FOLKS) to advocate for balance.^[6]

Early on April 13, 2020, a high-end EF3 tornado struck residential areas south and east of Seneca. Many buildings were damaged or destroyed and one person was killed.^[7]

National Register of Historic Places listings

In and around Seneca, there are a number of historic buildings and districts that are on the National Register of Historic Places:^[8]

• Seneca Historic District was listed in 1974. It is located south of the railroad tracks. The district consists of several homes and three churches that were built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The houses have architectural styles that were popular in the period. It also includes a log cabin from the mid-nineteenth century that was moved from Long Creek, South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information,^[9] copies of the nomination forms,^[10][11] and a map of the district.^[12]
• Ram Cat Alley Historic District was listed in 2000. It is a twenty-one-building commercial district built in the 1880s to the 1930s. The name of the street came from cats that gathered around a meat market. Many of these buildings have been rejuvenated and now house restaurants, shops, and professional offices. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information,^[13] a copy of the nomination form,^[14] and a map.^[15]
• textile mill village near Seneca. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information,^[16] a copy of the nomination form,^[17] and a map.^[18]
• Alexander-Hill House
• Faith Cabin Library at Seneca Junior College
• McPhail Angus Farm
• Old Pickens Presbyterian Church

Geography

Seneca is located at 34°41′3″N 82°57′21″W / 34.68417°N 82.95583°W / 34.68417; -82.95583 (34.684145, -82.955778).^[19]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18 km²), of which 7.1 square miles (18 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.56%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	382		—
1900	920		—
1910	1,313		42.7%
1920	1,460		11.2%
1930	1,929		32.1%
1940	2,155		11.7%
1950	3,649		69.3%
1960	5,227		43.2%
1970	6,027		15.3%
1980	7,436		23.4%
1990	7,726		3.9%
2000	7,652		−1.0%
2010	8,102		5.9%
2020	8,850		9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[20] 2020[3]

2020 census

Seneca racial composition^[21]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	5,556	62.78%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,143	24.21%
Native American	25	0.28%
Asian	108	1.22%
Pacific Islander	3	0.03%
Other/Mixed	484	5.47%
Latino	531	6.0%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,850 people, 4,043 households, and 2,138 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

of any race were 1.53% of the population.

There were 3,286 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. Of all households 32.3% were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,643, and the median income for a family was $44,487. Males had a median income of $31,381 versus $21,472 for females. The

, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Seneca City Hall is located on North First Street, in the center of the historic (downtown) area of Seneca. North First Street is also marked as Highway 123 Business. The City Hall Complex holds the Seneca Police Dept, Seneca Light and Water, as well as the offices of the Mayor and City Administrator.

Seneca Fire Department is housed on West South Fourth Street, in a new complex. The Fire House is just across the street from the Shaver Complex, which comprises the Shaver Civic Center, sports fields for the Seneca Recreation Department, a park for smaller children, and a rubberized soft walking track.

Education

Seneca has a lending library, a branch of the Oconee County Public Library.^[22]

Until June 2020, it was the headquarters of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), the council that deals with the examination for engineers and surveyors. On that date, the NCEES moved to Greenville, South Carolina.

Notable people

• Willie Aikens, Major League Baseball player
• Bennie Cunningham, National Football League player
• U.S. Senator from North Carolina (1999-2005), and 2004 Democratic nominee for Vice President under John Kerry; candidate for president in 2008
• U.S. Senator from South Carolina since 2003 ^[23]
• Clarence Kay, National Football League player
• Jimmy Orr, retired All-Pro National Football League player
• Marshall Parker, politician
• Marv Rackley, Major League Baseball player
• Needtobreathe, Christian rock band

See also

• Seneca Senior High School
• Killing of Zachary Hammond

References

External links

• City of Seneca official website
• Oconee County Chamber of Commerce
• Seneca High School
• Oconee School District website
• Oconee County Library
• Video tour of Seneca from 1906