Nature Is Reclaiming This One Abandoned South Carolina Spot And It’s Actually Amazing
South Carolina has a treasure trove of abandoned mills. Some are in dismal and dangerous conditions surrounded by tall fencing for protection. Others, like the Saluda River Factory in Columbia, are slowly and silently being reclaimed by nature.
The Saluda River Factory in Columbia is also known as the Saluda Mill. But in reality, during its short existence this factory had five different owners, four of them were prior to the Civil War, and each one called the factory by a different name.
The original factory was built at Beard's Falls on the Saluda River in the 1830s. The foundation was made of cut granite blocks and the rest of the 200' x 45' three story building was constructed of wood.
According to an historical synopsis compiled by Chicora Foundation of Columbia in 2001, in the 1830s this original Saluda Factory employed upwards of 250 individuals and produced 50,000 pounds of yarn and one million yards of cloth a year.
With the coming of the Civil War, the factory installed machinery for making wool and soon became the only wool manufacturer in the state. It wasn't long before they also opened their own sewing factory in Columbia and secured a contract to make uniforms for Confederate soldiers.
During the Civil War, Sherman's men crossed the Saluda into Columbia on pontoons departing near the factory. The offical account from the crossing notes a small colony of wooden shantys that were adjacent to the mill. Unofficially, the village was called "Saludaville." It's logical that the mill workers lived in "Saludaville."
On February 17, 1865, the same day as Sherman's men crossed the Saluda, the factory was burned. All that remained was the nearby village for the workers and the stone foundation.
Chicora Foundation produced findings in 2001 that substantiate the existence of a cemetery unofficially called "Factory Cemetery" adjacent to the factory site. Their summary states the graves are 500-700 in number and date from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Seemingly, the only real markers for the cemetery today are the power lines above and the two service roads bordering the east and west sides.
After the war, the factory was rebuilt on the original stone foundation only to burn again in 1884. It was never rebuilt again.
If you want to see the ruins of the Saluda Factory Mill, it's as easy as visiting the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia and heading over to the Saluda Factory Interpretive Center.
Would you ever take a day trip in South Carolina to see these or other factory ruins? Tell us in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
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