The College:

History of River City

River City embraces a 100 square mile area in the Northeast part of the State of Franklin. The Oconee River flows through the city and empties into the Moccasin River. Located in the southeastern portion of the United States, residents enjoy four seasons a year with winter being brief and mild. The county’s major agricultural products include soybeans, corn and other grains, apples, peaches and poultry. River City, the count seat and a growing corporate community, consists of local businesses and a number of industries, including a paper mill and a building supply manufacturing plant.

Because few records were kept or have been preserved, little is known about the earliest explorers and initial settlers in the River City area. A group of a dozen or more “long hunters” apparently camped along the Oconee River in the fall of 1768 and carved their names and the date on a couple of large oak trees. Hunters and explorers who followed Indian trails from the eastern and northern portions of the state crossed the Oconee River at a shallow spot near the present golf course.
In the late 1700s, families form the eastern seaboard looking for land, moved into the area. Many of the new residents held land warrants that granted acreage in payment for military services. Others had purchased warrants or land from veterans. Some were even squatters. Newcomers generally staked claims along water courses and in heavily forested areas that provided building supplies and fuel.
As the population grew, the need for local government increased. In December 1798, the State legislature approved a petition to create a new county from the northeast portion of Hampton County. At their first meeting, the newly appointed county commissioners swore in the officials necessary for the orderly government of the area. At subsequent meetings, they set tavern rates, approved the construction of several mills, and called for the clearing of roadways to link all portions of the city. In the summer of 1800, the county officials arranged for the construction of a log courthouse and small log jail. Both buildings stood in the middle of the city, about one quarter mile from the river bank.
By 1810, a few stores, a brick tavern, and several modest homes faced the square. At that time, there were 26 households with a total of 148 residents in River City. From the beginning, city residents depended on the Oconee River as an avenue for commerce. In 1830, River City assumed the role as the area’s commercial center and the city’s growth reflected her economic importance.
The Civil War was a setback for River City. Many of the public buildings were taken over by Union soldiers and later burned. After the war, the city quickly organized forces to begin rebuilding.
In the 1870s, residents benefited from the introduction of piped gas and water. The telephone became popular at the turn of the century; electricity arrived in the town in 1920.
The 1890s witnessed the introduction of the state’s public school system, and by the middle of the decade, the city included two modern brick schoolhouses, an elementary school for white children and a smaller wooden structure for the town’s African American children. The nearly two dozen rural one-room log or frame schools continued in use and were gradually replaced over many decades. Consolidation of rural and city schools came to the front in the 1950s weeded out the last of the substandard structures. The curriculum for all public schools included the three R; but a few schools also offered classes in music, art, composition, and spelling. The public school system did not provide secondary educational opportunities until after 1910, although several private schools offered a fine education for those who could afford them.
The decades between the two world wars witnessed many changes. The automobile emphasized the need for better roadways and lessened the distinction between the advantages enjoyed by urban and rural dwellers. Cars also increased the demand for oil, and during the 1920s speculators, drillers, and oil company representatives flocked to the area to pump black gold from River City’s shallow wells. The boom stimulated industry, from hotels to dry cleaners. Housing was at a premium; many workers came to the area during the boom lived in out-buildings and even tents. The oil boom proved to be short lived. By 1945, the last of the wells were dry.
The end of World War II initiated an era of growth. By the late 1960s, the city had already established itself as a result of growth in enrollment at Oconee College, the introduction of small industry, and the expansion of agricultural product processing (especially poultry). River City had also become a regional retail shopping center for the northeastern corner of the state.
River City has a current population of approximately 50,000. Residents enjoy the small town atmosphere in a comfortable and safe environment within close approximation (about one hour’s drive) to the nearby metropolitan area of Benjamintown, the state capitol. Businesses continue to emerge in the downtown area and surrounding community at a comfortable pace. A museum, movie theatres, restaurants, shops and various forms of recreation and entertainment are available to students and community members. While new buildings and remodeling occur, the city has been able to maintain its older buildings to model the traditional look enjoyed by the residents and guests.
Oconee College has a positive relationship with River City. The mayor, Clinton Hobbs, graduated from Oconee College 23 years ago and continues to support his alma mater personally and through community resources.