The railroad was 110 miles (180 km) long and its track gauge was 5 ft (1,524 mm).
[5] Engineers and surveyors approached the handful of residents a few miles away near a rocky hill landmark.
By the 1870s, Ebenezerville, the village that had rejected the depot, was a dying town, while Rock Hill was growing very quickly.
A fire in Rock Hill in 1884 destroyed the passenger depot, freight platforms, and storage areas.
In 1896, the town convinced the two railroads to build one joint depot to increase efficiency and cut down on confusion.
The line served as a vital railroad connection during the American Civil War of 1861–1865, and was damaged in the waning days of the conflict by General William T. Sherman's troops as they ravaged South Carolina.