MAULDIN, S.C. (WSPA) — Mauldin’s history is marked by ups and downs, rebuilding and decades of change.
Today, new developments, expanding business opportunities and increased traffic are signs of one of the Upstate’s fastest-growing communities. But residents who have spent decades in Mauldin say one thing hasn’t changed: the people.
“A big part of Mauldin’s story is how quickly it transformed from a railroad and farm town into a fast-growing suburb of Greenville,” Mayor Terry Merritt said. “What we preach is, don’t lose the community.”
Mauldin became a city in 1969, though its roots stretch back much further. Before it was known as Mauldin, the community was called Butler’s Crossroads, a small settlement connecting Greenville and Laurens. Much of the area was farmland.
“We used to count cars coming through Mauldin, and this was in the ’50s, probably,” resident Donny Savage said. “And after 8, there might not have been 10-12 cars coming through Mauldin.”
Doug Vaughan remembers just how small the town once was.
“It’s hard to imagine how small Mauldin was,” Vaughan said. “I was the last class that graduated at the old Mauldin High School in ’57, there were 19 of us.”
The town was named after William Mauldin, who helped bring the railroad through the area. The railroad helped the community thrive before the area faced economic hardship for several decades. Leaders say growth accelerated after World War II and continued through the second half of the 20th century.
“We’re growing,” Merritt said. “I think I heard the number the other day; we are now officially 31,000 people. It was 1,200 people when I first moved here.”
City leaders said economic development and investments have remained priorities.
“We’ve worked very hard and we’ve been very intentional to create a place where families want to stay,” City Councilman Taft Matney said.
Residents point to Main Street as one of the clearest examples of the city’s transformation.
“I would say one of the greatest changes is how well Main Street has developed and grown up,” resident Robert Simmons said.
Still, every morning in Mauldin, some traditions remain unchanged.
At Tommy’s Snack Bar, longtime residents gather for breakfast, conversation and memories.
“Tommy’s was probably the first fast food place in town and it’s just a go-to place for all us old-timers,” Savage said. “We enjoy getting together and swapping lives every morning.”
The restaurant has become a gathering place for generations of residents.
“You walk in someplace and somebody knows your name, you feel at home don’t you?” owner Tommy Kellett said.
Kellett’s grandson, Greyson, grew up helping around the family business.
“I remember as a child coming up here and helping him in the kitchen or sweeping the parking lot at 4 or 5 years old,” Greyson Kellett said.
While the area looks dramatically different than it did decades ago, residents say the sense of community remains the city’s defining characteristic.
“Mauldin is the friends, friendship is amazing, most important thing I think,” Vaughan said.
Much of what residents see today was farmland only a few generations ago.
“A lot of this we’re looking at used to be farming when I was a boy,” Savage said. “Very few buildings here on Main St.”
As Mauldin continues to grow, residents say that feeling of home is what has allowed the city to evolve from a small agricultural community into the thriving city it is today.
“It means a whole lot, to me it does,” Kellett said. “Most of them I know by name.”
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