Town file
Gaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney, South Carolina (Cherokee County, South Carolina) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 176, "Sicker Than The Average Strangler" (18 June 2020). Gaffney, in Cherokee County in the north central part of South Carolina, was a textile town whose mills thrived until the 1980s.
- Town
- Gaffney
- County
- Cherokee County
- State
- South Carolina
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 176
- Approximate location
- 35.074, -81.662
Episode 176 / 18 June 2020 / 159 min / full
Sicker Than The Average Strangler
"We're gonna go down to South Carolina, Gaffney, South Carolina." about 0:04:31
The case: Murder of Annie Lucille Deadman (May 1967); The Gaffney Strangler murders (January and February 1968). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2020
- Population
- 12,756
- Median age
- 36.8
- Median household income
- $30,058
- Median home value
- $72,900
- Two-bedroom rent
- $702
- Cost of living
- 71
- Religious
- 63%
- Property crime
- ▲ almost double
- Violent crime
- ▲ about 50% higher
History, in brief
- Michael A. Gaffney came from Ireland in 1775, landing in New York City and moving to Charleston before settling here. about 0:07:33
- He established a tavern and a lodging house, and the settlement became known as Gaffney's Crossroads. about 0:07:47
- In a letter Gaffney described the country as poor, sandy, rocky and hilly, with every farmer his own shoemaker, tanner and tailor. about 0:08:08
- Gaffney died in 1854. about 0:09:34
- In 1872 the town became known as Gaffney City, and Gaffney became the county seat. about 0:09:34
- It became part of Cherokee County. about 0:09:46
- Gaffney became a big centre of the South Carolina textile industry, which collapsed in the 1980s. about 0:09:52
- The town built a million-gallon water tank painted to look like a giant peach. about 0:10:26
- In 2009 Patrick Tracy Burris began a spree killing, starting with a prominent peach farmer in western Cherokee County. about 0:11:13
- Burris killed an 83-year-old woman and her 50-year-old daughter, found bound and shot in the older woman's home, on July 1st, 2009. about 0:11:28
- On July 2nd, 2009, Burris killed 46-year-old Stephen Tyler in his appliance store and critically wounded Tyler's teenage daughter Abby, who died days later. about 0:11:36
- Burris was shot dead by police at Progress on July 6th, 2009, and ballistic tests tied him to the killings. about 0:12:06
The reviews read out
2 stars
"Affordable, but the schools are poor, there is nothing for young married couples without children, and the local restaurants and grocery stores are terrible."about 0:13:41
3 stars
"A prejudiced local view: Gaffney has its charms, a small southern town with various neighbourhoods and a relatively diverse population."about 0:14:24
"Moved here three years ago and likes the small, nice town with many stores nearby, but dislikes the shootings near home in the past two days."about 0:14:49
3 stars
"Very small town with little entertainment; safe during the day but much worse at night; overall okay for raising a family but with lots of small-town issues."about 0:15:08
3 stars
"A place of simplicity and mundane life where everyone is related or known; hard for small businesses because corporations have taken over and the city council is not supportive."about 0:15:36
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Kings Mountain, North Carolina21 miles
- Roebuck, South Carolina22 miles
- Cherryville, North Carolina27 miles
- Gastonia, North Carolina29 miles
- Greer, South Carolina34 miles
- Chester, South Carolina36 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.