Free My Neighborhood
Neighborhood history

A short history of Canterfield Creek

A young neighborhood on old farmland, built in the late 1990s just after the Village of Marvin was founded.

Canterfield Creek is a young neighborhood on very old ground. Most of its homes were built in the late 1990s, just a few years after the Village of Marvin was incorporated, on land that had been farmed for generations.

Timeline

  1. Before 1700sThe land is home to the Waxhaw people.
  2. 1700Surveyor John Lawson travels through and praises the soil's fertility.
  3. 1700s–1800sSettlers of German, English, Welsh and Scottish descent farm the area.
  4. 1842Union County is formed; the area had been part of Anson County.
  5. July 1, 1994The Village of Marvin is incorporated.
  6. 1996–1999Most Canterfield Creek homes are built.
  7. 2000Marvin's population: 1,039.
  8. 2010Marvin's population: 5,579.
  9. 2020Marvin's population: 6,358.
  10. 2022Marvin opens its new Village Hall near Marvin Elementary School.
  11. 2026Canterfield Creek becomes Free My Neighborhood's first community.

Before the neighborhood

Long before subdivisions, this part of the Carolina Piedmont was home to the Waxhaw people. In 1700, explorer and surveyor John Lawson wrote that the land was so fertile that "no labor of man in one or two ages could make it poor." Settlers later farmed crops such as tobacco and soybeans, and the area kept a semi-rural character into the late 20th century. It was part of Anson County until Union County was created in 1842.

A new village

The Village of Marvin was incorporated on July 1, 1994, as suburban growth spread south from Charlotte. Canterfield Creek's homes followed soon after, mostly between 1996 and 1999. Marvin grew more than fivefold between 2000 and 2010, from 1,039 to 5,579 residents, and reached 6,358 by 2020.

What we're still learning

Some of the neighborhood's own story isn't written down anywhere we can verify yet. If you know any of these, we'd love to hear from you:

  • Who developed Canterfield Creek, and which builders built the first homes? [placeholder]
  • When was the neighborhood's subdivision plat recorded with Union County? [placeholder]
  • Where does the name "Canterfield Creek" come from? [placeholder]
  • When was the homeowners association formed, and when were the pool and cabana built? [placeholder]

Plat maps and deeds can be searched through the Union County Register of Deeds. Long-time neighbors are often the best source of all.

Share a story or old photo

Sources