Our Town

Our local town, Greenwood is located in the upstate of South Carolina at the intersection of a number of railroad lines. I remember the C&WC, P&N, Southern and Seaboard rail lines. Now t here's only Seaboard. Greenwood was the home of Greenwood Mills - a very large Cotton Processing company that made a spectrum of different fabrics from parachute cloth to typewriter ribbons. Many of the railroads and most of Greenwood Mills are but memories today. Interstate Highways replaced a large part of rail shipping and most textile companies are either closed or have moved to the third world for cheap labor.

Greenwood was noted for having the widest Main Street in the world. In fact, Main Street was almost as wide as it was long!! Almost all mercantile, drug and other stores in Greenwood county were located around the square in town. I remember at least two restaurants - The Grill and the Star Cafe. Two drugstores - Smith's Drugstore on the west side and Hodges Drugstore on the east. There was a Gallant Belk, Penney's, Efird's and The Vogue for clothing, A Firestone store on the south side and a Western Auto on the east - each owned by a Leary Brother who were reported to be "Not on good terms with each other." On one side was the A&P Grocery and up the street on the same side was Timmerman's Grocery. For Men's Clothing there was Rosenberg's on one side and Fred Smith's on the other. There was also Rykard's Army Store near the end of the square. There were more stores and buildings - Mayes Jewelers (with Hoyt Faulkner's Barbershop downstairs) Smitty's Pawn Shop, The Grier Building on one side and The Textile Building on the other. Of course there was (and still is) a county bank and McCaslan's Bookstore. On the northwest corner was the 5 story Oregon Hotel building which is now the Greenwood Building.

Greenwood was a nice big town in those days. I didn't realize just how small the town was until Mamma and I went to Greenville with Mrs. Adams and Beth. I couldn't believe it! I remember that trip that we ate at the S&S Cafeteria and that I had Baked Cod. Then, the first time that we went to Atlanta I was really amazed!