Greenway Names Road After Prominent Paradise Community Member
Access Road Near the Fort Mill Complex YMCA Now Known as Handy White Way
Fort Mill has a new road named for an important figure in the town’s history. The road, created to provide access to the Fort Mill YMCA at the Complex and Anne Springs Close Greenway trailhead from Springfield Parkway, has been registered with York County as Handy White Way. The trailhead, previously referred to as the Complex Entrance, will be known as the Blue Star Entrance moving forward, representing its direct access to the Greenway’s longest trail and the native wildflower that blooms there.
The name honors Fort Mill resident, Handy White, Sr., one of the first landowners in what became the Paradise community. Born into slavery around 1832, White and his fellow trustees helped establish landmarks such as the Bethlehem Baptist Church and the Banks Street Cemetery. Mr. White became a major landowner in the Fort Mill area; on his death in 1917, he owned 118 acres. Handy White’s name is included with nine other African-Americans on the monument to the “faithful slaves” in Fort Mill’s Confederate Park. The Paradise neighborhood is located along Steele Street, adjacent to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. The Greenway’s Paradise Loop is accessible from the Blue Star Entrance.
Parking for the Blue Star Entrance is available in the parking lot near the municipal ball fields; the daily visitor fee is $6 ($4 ages 5-12) and is available for hiking and mountain biking access only. The Greenway remains open to members only Friday through Sunday to encourage social distancing. For directions and trail information, visit ASCGreenway.org.
About the Anne Springs Close Greenway
Since 1995, the Anne Springs Close Greenway has provided a place for the community to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities from fishing, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding to picnics, kayaking and more. The 2,100-acre nature preserve located in Fort Mill, SC is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to sunset for outdoor recreation enthusiasts and nature lovers to use its 36 miles of trails. The Anne Springs Close Greenway is owned and operated by Leroy Springs & Company Inc., a 501(c)3 organization that receives no government funding for its ongoing operations and programs. The Greenway relies on revenues from its endowment, membership and program fees, and private contributions from individuals, community and corporate partners, and other donors to fund operations and capital needs.
About Leroy Springs & Company, Inc.
For more than 75 years, Leroy Springs & Company, Inc. has provided affordable, quality recreation and community activities and facilities in the region home to the historic Springs Cotton Mills. Today, Leroy Springs is headquartered in Fort Mill, SC, and provides the next generation with similar recreation opportunities, including the Springs Golf course portfolio (Chester, Fort Mill, Lancaster, Springfield), the Anne Springs Close Greenway, and Springmaid Mountain (Spruce Pine, NC). Leroy Springs & Company, Inc. provides financial assistance for its recreation opportunities through the Leroy Springs Bridge Program, which awarded $186,000 in financial assistance in 2019. For more information, visit LeroySprings.com.