One Of The First Mill Towns In The Country, Graniteville, South Carolina, Has A Dark And Storied History
In the 1840s, as northern states in the U.S. were flourishing during the period of industrialization, the South loomed far behind until one man, William Gregg, moved into South Carolina and made some changes. His insight and efforts brought the South into play with the prospering New England states, making one little town in South Carolina one of the first mill towns in the entire South.
Established in 1845, Graniteville, South Carolina, is still around and boasts approximately 3,300 residents.
The original Graniteville Mill opened in 1845 and operated through 2006. By then it was owned by Avondale Mills. The town got its name from the blue granite used in construction of the Graniteville Mill (pictured).
At its height, the mill had built 100 mill houses in Graniteville to house workers and their families. Today, 26 of those homes still stand on or near Gregg Street.
The stately building commands attention at the corner of Marshall and Canal Streets.
Gregg's mill town included company-built and sponsored supporting businesses. There were six stores, two churches, and a school for children of employees.
The school would become one of the first in the country for mandated attendance for school-aged children, as Gregg himself, forced children of mill workers to get an education.
All was well and good in the tiny town of Graniteville until 1904, when a tragic train accident occurred, claiming the life of Graniteville resident.
Her name was Mrs. Engle and she was walking along the tracks with her young daughter. The child had wandered over to the other side of the track when her mother realized a train was quickly approaching.
She reacted by moving to the other side of the track to take her daughter's hand, but she was struck by the oncoming train. Tragically, she died. The daughter survived.
But that wouldn't be Graniteville's only train tragedy.
In 2005, two trains crashed into one another derailing 16 cars right in the heart of the town. The accident killed nine people, injured more than 550, and displaced 5,500 from their homes for at least a week.
One of the cars that derailed and crashed was carrying liquid chlorine, which then created a poisonous chlorine cloud that covered Graniteville. After the crash in 2006, then owner of the mill, Avondale Mills, was never able to recover and the mill closed permanently. So tragedy spurred even more tragedy when many of the residents lost their job after the train disaster of 2005.
Still another kind of dark and tragic event in Graniteville is evidenced by an unmarked grave in the Graniteville Cemetery.
The tragic story of the unknown boy occurred long before the two notable train accidents in Graniteville, though. As the story of "The Little Boy" goes, in 1855, he was traveling all alone on a train and was removed at a nearby station because he became ill.
He ended up in a hotel or boarding house in Graniteville, where his grim fate was sealed by death before anyone could learn who he was, where he was from, or where to find his parents. He was laid to rest at the town cemetery where, to this day, people still visit and bring trinkets, toys, and even warm blankets to the youngster. It's as if the folks in Graniteville have officially adopted the boy post mortem.
While it is true that few towns and cities around the state are without a tragic tale or two, the tiny community of Graniteville has seen a lot of tragedy in its 176 years since Gregg arrived to build out one of the first mill towns in the South. Have you passed through Graniteville, or do you know someone who is from there? Let us know!
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Address: Graniteville, SC, USA
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Robin Jarvis is a travel writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She's lived in the Carolinas for nearly three decades and currently resides in Charleston. When she's not working, she loves to cook with friends and check out new adventures. General questions and FAM tours: rjarvis@onlyinyourstate.com.
