PIEDMONT, S.C. —
Natives are recounting Piedmont’s age of industry in hopes of revitalizing the area’s once-loved quality of life and small-town charm.
Workforce families flocked to the unincorporated area in 1874 in search of opportunities found in the textile industry. The mill ensured their survival, and the area quickly turned into a populus.
“You get up, fix your sandwich, be gone, leave the door open. You didn't have to worry about nothing,” native Chuck Davis said. “This town was full of people. You couldn't find a parking place anywhere.”
Mill workers nicknamed “lint heads” became accustomed to a meal break at the Downtown Café for 35 cents. Baseball spurred the talk of the town, and home was just a walk up the hill.
Most people knew one another. Piedmont became a hidden village.
“I hear stories from, you know, my family and other people all around town just how it was, how it was always so busy, a vibrant place,” Piedmont native Jackson Lollis said.
In 1983, a fire started in the mill, leading to its closure. Davis said the community lost its connection, and it still has not recovered. Downtown
“The mill took care of everything. And that's what really hurt Piedmont, is when the mill sold out. They gave everything away they have,” Davis said.
Main Street is a line of empty stores and dilapidated buildings, apart from a single beauty shop.
The unincorporated community falls between the Greenville and Anderson county lines. It is a humble home to around 6,000 people.
With Greenville’s nearby metropolis on a steady growth incline, natives can see the area growing.
“Whenever I was little, you know, I was like, 'Is Piedmont ever going to grow?' You know, to the lengths of like Simpsonville or Mauldin, Greenville, beyond. But it's been cool to see it kind of transform,” Lollis said.
It sparks inspiration for newcomers about how the area could look in the future.
“This is truly the last mill town that hasn't been developed yet, and that, there's just so much opportunity,” realtor Lisa Betkoski said.
Betkoski said she would like to see historic buildings restored to their original condition for small businesses to move into, along with nearby homes. Davis is interested in placing homes near the old mill to bring the economy back level.
Greenville County approved a long-term comprehensive plan in December to roadmap Piedmont’s economy, land use and quality of life.
Community members said the move is a long time coming, and they hope it will include reviving the dilapidated downtown.
“They don't understand what we want and why we want it in a certain way. It's never going to go back to 1966. It's going to take the whole town to come together to make Piedmont like it used to be,” Davis said.