Clover

History

Clover was founded just north of an earlier settlement, New Centre, which had waned during the Civil War. The pivotal American Revolutionary War battle of Kings Mountain occurred approximately eight miles to the west of modern-day Clover, on October 7, 1780. Prior to Clover's founding, Bethany and Bethel, communities to the west and east, respectively, were primary population centers in northern York District, with well-established Presbyterian churches, post offices and stores serving the area's numerous cotton farms. The village of Clover began as a railway stop in 1876, midway between Yorkville, and modern-day Gastonia, North Carolina, when the first railroad tracks were laid through the northern section of the county. Before the Civil War, the Kings Mountain Railroad had operated as far north as Yorkville from Chester, but the tracks were destroyed during the war. In 1873, the Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad was officially chartered and acquired the Kings Mountain rights of way. By 1875, new, narrow-gauge railway replaced the remnants of the former Kings Mountain line, and the following year the tracks were extended from Yorkville to Gaston County, North Carolina. A water tank for the railway's steam locomotives was constructed midway between Gastonia and Yorkville. According to lore, the overflow of water from the railway's water tank fertilized a patch of clover, and the stop was called "the clover patch." The town was officially incorporated in 1887. It later became the home of several cotton mills, many of which operated until after World War II. The Bethel Presbyterian Church and Clover Downtown Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. U.S. Highway 321 comprises Clover's Main Street, which runs roughly north and south, and the town square lies at its intersection with state highway 55. Henry's Knob, a mountain west of Clover, is the site of a former open-pit mining operation for what was formerly the world's largest deposit of kyanite. The mountain stands at 1120 ft above sea level. According to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) records, the mine is listed as a Superfund Alternative Site for acid mine drainage and groundwater contamination.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Clover High
  High · Clover · 2,685 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• York Comprehensive High
  High · York · 1,493 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Oakridge Middle
  Middle · Clover · 1,154 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Crowders Creek Elementary
  Elementary · Clover · 1,111 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Clover Middle
  Middle · Clover · 988 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Oakridge Elementary
  Elementary · Clover · 838 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• York Intermediate
  Middle · York · 659 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Riverwalk Academy
  Other · Rock Hill · 628 students · 10:1 ratio