Graniteville, South Carolina

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 straddles Horse Creek which originates in the nearby town of Vaucluse.

History

Graniteville dates 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 houses, 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.

Economy

Until 1996, Graniteville was the home office and central location of a collection of textile 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.

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 individualsin this racial groupwho identify as Hispanic/Latino [http://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 train 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.

Incorporation

There have been talks about incorporating the villages of Graniteville, Vaucluse, 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 be around 20 sq. miles [http://www.aikenstandard.com/homepage/292568584395065.php]

External links

* [http://www.sc-heritagecorridor.org/html/popups_dis/dis13.html Graniteville profile] from the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism
* [http://www.avondalemills.com/ Avondale Mills website]
* [http://www.industryweek.com/IWInPrint/BestPlants/bp_profiles.asp?Input=143 Profile of Bridgestone/Firestone South Carolina]