Greenville Water history

1832 - Vardry McBee purchases large area of land, including a grist mill and a saw mill, near what is now Conestee Dam.

1835 - Gower and Cox Wagon and Carriage Factory was founded by Ebenezer Gower and Thomas M. Cox where the Peace Center complex is located today.

1837 - Patterson Paper Mill was constructed on the east side of the Reedy River downstream of Brushy Creek and upstream of what appears to be Marrow Bone Creek.

In 1852, Furman Institution (now Furman University) bought the land.

1874 - Sampson & Hall Mill was built at the lower falls in what is now Falls Park.

1876 - Camperdown Mill Number 2 was built across from the Sampson & Hall Mill at the base of the lower falls.

1882 - Huguenot Mill, though built on the Reedy, did not use the water for power, as it was steam-powered.

1890 - What is now known as Conestee Mill was constructed beside the Conestee Dam site.

1904 - Beltline trolley constructed. (photo below show crossing at Main Street and Reedy River.

By the time the case was resolved in the Supreme Court in 1931, Conestee Mills had begun to fail because of the protracted litigation and the effects of the Great Depression.

1960 - Camperdown bridge was constructed.

In 1967, the Carolina Foothills Garden Club reclaimed 26 acres for the current park, with the support of the City of Greenville, Furman University and the Planning Commission.

Early 1980’s - the Reedy ran a different color every day depending on the dyeing operations of the textile plants.

June 26, 1996 - the Reedy suffered a catastrophic setback when a pipeline owned by Colonial Pipeline ruptured near Fork Shoals, releasing over 1 million gallons of diesel fuel into the river, one of the largest inland oil spills in U. S. history.

The vision for a dramatic public garden was finally realized when the Camperdown Bridge was removed in 2002.