Blacksburg

History

Located near the northern border of the state, the present-day site of Blacksburg was first settled by a man named Stark. Mr. Stark, who had lived in Charleston, South Carolina prior to moving to the area, had gotten several people to come along with him on an agriculture venture, but this venture would fail. Those who stayed behind named the area "Stark's Folly". In the late 19th century the Black family, headed by John G. Black, a Confederate veteran, was living in the area and persuaded the C.C. & C. Railroad Company to lay track through the town and build a depot. The town soon became known as "Black's Station" in honor of John G. Black and was incorporated as Black's Station town in 1876. The legal town was renamed "Blacksburg" in 1888. Major John F. Jones of Massachusetts came to live in Blacksburg when hired as superintendent of the C. C. & C. Railroad. He donated his own money to build a school, hotel (the Cherokee Inn), and several other buildings in Blacksburg. He lived in Blacksburg until 1922, when he was appointed the South Carolina Internal Revenue Collector by the President of the United States. In the 1890s large amounts of iron ore were found in the area, and many people hoping to make a fortune from mining it flocked to the town. Blacksburg became a boom town, and hotels and saloons were built for the new visitors. The town went by the name "Iron City" for a short time. Because of the "iron rush" the town became quite wealthy. It installed the first electric street lights in Upstate South Carolina and perhaps in the entire state. The town was renamed in 1888 as "Blacksburg" but still holds the nickname of "Iron City". The Kings Mountain State Park Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Geography

Blacksburg is located in northeastern Cherokee County south of the North Carolina border. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Whitaker Mountain is partially in the northern corner of the town, with a summit elevation outside the town limits of approximately .

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,613
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,607
• Eastern Bluebird

  Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,529
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,423
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,975
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,909
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,878
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,862

Largest nearby schools

• Gaffney Middle
  Middle · Gaffney · 921 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• B. D. Lee Elementary
  Elementary · Gaffney · 607 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Blacksburg High
  High · Blacksburg · 553 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• Grassy Pond Elementary
  Elementary · Gaffney · 503 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• John E. Ewing Middle
  Middle · Gaffney · 486 students · 16.2:1 ratio
• Cherokee Charter School
  Elementary · Gaffney · 480 students · 9.8:1 ratio
• Luther L. Vaughan Elementary
  Elementary · Gaffney · 419 students · 12:1 ratio
• Blacksburg Primary
  Elementary · Blacksburg · 394 students · 16.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.73 — 2025-08-14
  7 km N of Columbus, North Carolina
• M 2.69 — 2022-12-08
  0 km S of Laurel Park, North Carolina
• M 2.65 — 2021-08-17
  6 km N of Morganton, North Carolina
• M 2.51 — 2019-01-24
  6 km NNW of Jenkinsville, South Carolina
• M 2.5 — 2017-10-22
  15 km N of Old Fort, North Carolina
• M 2.5 — 2012-10-29
  5 km SSE of West Marion, North Carolina