Thicketty, South Carolina

Thicketty (also spelled Thickety) is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States. It lies between Gaffney and Cowpens along U.S. Route 29. Thicketty is located about 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Spartanburg.

Well known in this area is "Thicketty Mountain" as well as "Thicketty Creek," which is part of the Broad River Basin. Except for a convenience store, this location has no public services whatsoever. There used to be a train station nearby for the Norfolk Southern and CSX trains that pass right through Thicketty.

Historical note: Before the Boundary Line Survey of 1772, much of the northern part of South Carolina was thought to be in North Carolina. Accordingly, many North Carolina land grants were issued to land later found to be within the bounds of the Province of South Carolina. In example, on 26 October 1767, John Steen (brother of Lt. Col. James Steen) received three land grants totaling 650 acres (2.6 km²) from the Province of North Carolina. All three tracts were on Thicketty Creek in an area then thought to be in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (See NC Royal Patent Book 23, page 154).

Lt. Col. James Steen (1734-1780) was a successful planter who, at the time of the American revolution, resided in the Thicketty Creek area of what was once the northern part of Union County (formed in 1785) and is now part of Cherokee County (formed 1897), South Carolina. Steen, a staunch Presbyterian, had been born in County Antrim, Ulster Province, Ireland in about 1734. In the 1750s, he moved to America along with his father's family, that included his brother John Steen. Originally residing in Pennsylvania for only a few years, John and James both had recorded land deeds on Thicketty Creek 1766 & 1767(See SC Royal Land Grant Book 16, page 572 & SC Royal Land Grant Book 14, page 507 & NC Royal Patent Book 23, page 154).

Both John and James Steen, as well as many other local natives of Thicketty Creek, were heavily involved in the revolutionary war. There were families who were British loyalists, as well as families such as the Steen's who were Whigs and Colonial Militia Officers. In quite a few instances, Thicketty Creek neighbors found themselves on opposite sides and battles throughout the war, in surrounding areas.

According to Lyman Draper (1815-1891), as written in his well-known book titled Kings Mountain and it's Heroes (first published in 1881):

"James Steen, also of Irish descent, was probably a native of Pennsylvania, and early settled in what is now Union County, South Carolina. In August 1775, he "was fully convinced and ready to sign the Continental Association" and doubtless led a company on the Snow campaign, as he did the following year against the Cherokees, and, in 1777, commanded at Prince's Fort. In 1779, he served in Georgia, then at Stono, and Savannah; and performed a tour of duty from November in that year till February 1780, near Charleston. At this period, he ranked as Lieutenant-Colonel, distinguishing himself at Rocky Mount (Battle of Rocky Mount), Hanging Rock (Battle of Hanging Rock), Musgrove's Mill (Battle of Musgrove Mill), King's Mountain (Battle of King's Mountain), and probably with his superior, Colonel Brandon, at the Cowpens (Battle of Cowpens). In the summer of 1781, while endeavoring to arrest a Tory, in Rowan County, North Carolina, he was stabbed by an associate, surviving only a week."