Graniteville, South Carolina
Encyclopedia
Graniteville is an unincorporated community
in Aiken County
, South Carolina
, United States
. It lies along U.S. 1
, five miles (8 km) west of Aiken
. The town lies in Horse Creek Valley
which originates in the nearby town of Vaucluse
.
Graniteville is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area, also known as the C.S.R.A. or Central Savannah River Area.
Graniteville dates back to 1845 when William Gregg
built the South's first large scale cotton mill
in what became known as Graniteville. His paternalistic mill town
included 90 homes, several boarding house
s, six stores, two churches, and a school for the mill workers and their families. The community got its name because most of those original buildings were constructed of blue granite
. Mr. Gregg required the children of mill workers to attend the public school he instituted and violators were fined. As such, Graniteville holds the distinction of having the first compulsory education system in the South.
plants in South Carolina and Georgia known as The Graniteville Company. In 1996, the company was bought out by Avondale Mills, a company which was one of the largest denim
manufacturers in the United States
. Avondale closed or sold off all of its plants in the area in 2006, unable to recover financially from the train accident in 2005. Graniteville is also home to a Bridgestone
/Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
plant.
A continuing legacy of The Graniteville Company is the Gregg-Graniteville Foundation which was established by the company in 1941 in honor of Mr. Gregg. To continue his genuine concern for people, the Foundation awards annual college scholarships and other charitable contributions. A centerpiece of the Graniteville community is the Gregg Park Civic Center, a modern recreational complex whose full array of services are offered to community residents at a very nominal charge. The Foundation funds the complex which includes a walking track, softball and baseball fields, tennis courts, swimming area, picnic area. The gym includes a basketball court, weight room, exercise room, racquetball courts, locker rooms and showers.
White*: 69%
Black*: 26.8%
Native American*: 1%
Asian*: 0.3%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander*: 0%
Other*: 0.1%
Multiracial*: 1%
in this racial group
who identify as Hispanic/Latinohttp://www.zipskinny.com/index.php?zip=29829: Please Note, these demographics are ONLY for the zip code, and may or may not be indictive of the community's actual demographics
on the spur leading to Avondale's Stevens Steam Plant. One of two train cars that were carrying liquid chlorine
ruptured, releasing a poisonous chlorine cloud. Nine people were killed, more than 250 injured, and more than five thousand were displaced from their homes for more than a week. On May 20, 2006 the town dedicated a memorial to those who perished. The memorial is located in a small park at the intersection of Canal St and Aiken Rd.
, and, Warrenville
, recently, the towns approved a referendum to vote on whether or not to incorporate.http://www.masc.sc/Municipal%20News/111607_Aiken_Standard_Petitions_put_GVW_closer_to_being_city.htm If approved, the municipality would have been around 20 sq. mileshttp://www.aikenstandard.com/homepage/292568584395065.php. The referendum was defeated by a two to one margin in August 2008.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Aiken County
Aiken County, South Carolina
Aiken County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 142,552; in 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had reached 160,099...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies along U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 in South Carolina
U.S. Route 1 traverses the state of South Carolina completely from southwest to north, passing through such cities as Columbia and Aiken. For much of its length through Richland County, US 1 is called Two Notch Road...
, five miles (8 km) west of Aiken
Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken is a city in and the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aiken is home to the University of South...
. The town lies in Horse Creek Valley
Horse Creek Valley
Horse Creek Valley is a geographic area along Horse Creek, a tributary of the Savannah River. It lays within present day Aiken County, South Carolina . Presently, this area is alternately referred to as 'Midland Valley'...
which originates in the nearby town of Vaucluse
Vaucluse, South Carolina
Vaucluse is an unincorporated community in Aiken County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is located at . Vaucluse is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area....
.
Graniteville is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area, also known as the C.S.R.A. or Central Savannah River Area.
History
William Gregg (industrialist)
William Gregg was an ardent advocate of industrialization in antebellum Southern United States. In 1847 he founded the successful Graniteville Company, a large scale Horse Creek Valley, South Carolina cotton mill....
built the South's first large scale cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
in what became known as Graniteville. His paternalistic mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
included 90 homes, several boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
s, six stores, two churches, and a school for the mill workers and their families. The community got its name because most of those original buildings were constructed of blue granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. Mr. Gregg required the children of mill workers to attend the public school he instituted and violators were fined. As such, Graniteville holds the distinction of having the first compulsory education system in the South.
Economy
Until 1996, Graniteville was the home office and central location of a collection of textileTextile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
plants in South Carolina and Georgia known as The Graniteville Company. In 1996, the company was bought out by Avondale Mills, a company which was one of the largest denim
Denim
Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century...
manufacturers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Avondale closed or sold off all of its plants in the area in 2006, unable to recover financially from the train accident in 2005. Graniteville is also home to a Bridgestone
Bridgestone
The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
/Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...
plant.
A continuing legacy of The Graniteville Company is the Gregg-Graniteville Foundation which was established by the company in 1941 in honor of Mr. Gregg. To continue his genuine concern for people, the Foundation awards annual college scholarships and other charitable contributions. A centerpiece of the Graniteville community is the Gregg Park Civic Center, a modern recreational complex whose full array of services are offered to community residents at a very nominal charge. The Foundation funds the complex which includes a walking track, softball and baseball fields, tennis courts, swimming area, picnic area. The gym includes a basketball court, weight room, exercise room, racquetball courts, locker rooms and showers.
Demographics
According to the most recent numbers, the community has a population of 7,009. Up from around 1000 in 1990. The area is 34.72 sq.mi. of which 0.6% is water. Hispanic/Latino: 2.1%White*: 69%
Black*: 26.8%
Native American*: 1%
Asian*: 0.3%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander*: 0%
Other*: 0.1%
Multiracial*: 1%
- Does not include individuals
in this racial group
who identify as Hispanic/Latinohttp://www.zipskinny.com/index.php?zip=29829: Please Note, these demographics are ONLY for the zip code, and may or may not be indictive of the community's actual demographics
In The News
On January 6, 2005, a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train struck a parked trainGraniteville train disaster
The Graniteville train disaster was an American rail disaster that occurred on January 6, 2005, in Graniteville, South Carolina.At roughly 2:40 am Eastern Standard Time, two Norfolk Southern trains collided near an Avondale Mills plant in Graniteville. Norfolk Southern train No. P22 was parked on...
on the spur leading to Avondale's Stevens Steam Plant. One of two train cars that were carrying liquid chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
ruptured, releasing a poisonous chlorine cloud. Nine people were killed, more than 250 injured, and more than five thousand were displaced from their homes for more than a week. On May 20, 2006 the town dedicated a memorial to those who perished. The memorial is located in a small park at the intersection of Canal St and Aiken Rd.
Incorporation
There have been talks about incorporating the villages of Graniteville, VaucluseVaucluse, South Carolina
Vaucluse is an unincorporated community in Aiken County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is located at . Vaucluse is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area....
, and, Warrenville
Warrenville, South Carolina
Warrenville is an unincorporated community in Aiken County, South Carolina, United States, near Graniteville. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area...
, recently, the towns approved a referendum to vote on whether or not to incorporate.http://www.masc.sc/Municipal%20News/111607_Aiken_Standard_Petitions_put_GVW_closer_to_being_city.htm If approved, the municipality would have been around 20 sq. mileshttp://www.aikenstandard.com/homepage/292568584395065.php. The referendum was defeated by a two to one margin in August 2008.
External links
- Graniteville profile from the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
- Avondale Mills website
- Profile of Bridgestone/Firestone South Carolina