The Catawba Nation has just purchased nearly 200 acres in Rock Hill for $9 million, expanding its land holdings to over 1,500 acres.
According to York County tax records, the newly acquired land borders the northern part of the tribe’s reservation (the 296-acre Green Earth site).
The entire Catawba reservation includes a 710-acre main section to the south and the Green Earth site to the north, which supports housing and economic development. The tribe also owns other properties in York County through a federal trust.
Historically, the Catawba played a key role in regional trade along The Great Trading Path, exchanging furs and pottery for tools and textiles. European settlement led to the reduction of Catawba land from 144,000 acres to the nearly 710-acre reservation held in trust today, according to the Reservation’s website.
York County’s park and recreation department is developing approximately 2,100 acres on the east side of the Green Earth site as the Catawba Bend Preserve.
The Catawba Nation has also held over 300 acres in western York County since 2005 and owns land in North Carolina, including nearly 17 acres placed in trust for the Catawba Two Kings Casino project in 2018.
