Fishing Creek Place

Fishing Creek Place
A Katawba Valley Land Trust Property

York County, SC
(34.9191780, -81.1636706)
June 28, 2025 | 10:30am- 4:30pm

We have a trade! Due to a scheduling conflict, The Catawba Walking Trails trip has been postponed. Fear not as Tom Austin and Andrew Lazenby have conspired to link us up with a fascinating property in York County for our June outing. We will be meeting at 10:30am. Parking will be along the driveway and along the field on the right as you drive in.

There are also a couple unique opportunities with this property. First is the healthy and growing Pawpaw population. If you have a good location and bring the tools necessary to transplant, we can select a few specimens for relocation. Second, you can bring a suit and take a dip in the koi pond. There are several varieties of koi including several large specimens in the pond. Finally, we have the opportunity to camp in the fields on the property. Please let Andrew know you are interested or if you have questions by reaching out to him directly so he can plan accordingly: joemess2@gmail.com.

The Fishing Creek Property was originally part of the Lowry plantation property back in the 1820s. Andrew and his family led the investigation into the property and paid to have ground penetrating radar to find 144 graves on the property. If we are lucky Andrew can share some more details of the Fishing Creek Place Cemetery during our visit. Today, of the 154 acres, 110 are part of the easement with a baseline study still pending before a decision to add the additional acreage is possible.

There are a variety of habitats within the property. There are two piedmont prairie projects and an FWS project on the property. These open grasslands should provide some areas to explore the butterflies, wildflowers and dragonflies. The original property has some thick hardwood forest while the newer property is slightly less dense. There are a few unmanaged loblolly pines along the trails as well. Throughout the property you might notice some boulders that are part of the Chester dike that crosses the property. The forests slope down and along three creeks.

Two of the creeks are spring-fed. One of the springs is on the property and the other is from a neighboring property. Keep your eyes peeled for green dragons near the spring on the property. Fishing Creek is the largest of the three streams and continues on towards the Great Falls reservoir. The beavers on the property have created an ever-growing wetlands. All these factors contribute to a rich environment for possible salamanders. Bring your waders and feel free to explore. It is also of note and not a surprise that Andrew has some coverboards on the property. If interested, ask him about one of the locations to investigate further.

Directions

(34.9191780, -81.1636706)
Alternatively, put this address in the GPS and look for the mailbox with 4072 once you reach the general area:

4080 Hwy 324, Rock Hill, SC 20732

From I-77 North (Columbia and points South or East):

Take I-77 exit 73
Turn left off the ramp onto SC 901 N
Proceed 1.1 Miles
Turn Left onto Oakdale Rd and drive 2.1 miles
Turn left onto SC 121/SC 72 W Saluda Ave and drive 2.4 Miles
Turn Right onto SC 324 W
After about 7 miles the destination will be on the right.
There will be a long driveway and the mailbox says 4072.

From the Northwestern Portion of SC:

Take I-85 N to exit 102
Proceed down the exit ramp and turn Right onto SC 5/ N. Mountain St.
Drive 18 Miles
Proceed through the traffic signal at the intersection onto SC 5 Business
Drive 1.2 miles and turn Right onto US 321
After driving 4.7 miles, turn left onto State Rte. 32/ Cameron Rd
Drive 3.9 miles
At the traffic circle, take the 2^nd exit onto SC 324 E
In about a quarter-mile you will arrive at a mailbox with 4072 on it
Proceed down the long driveway

See you soon!
Todd Johnston
Northern Regional Director