This marker is at the top of the hill above the Taylors Mill factory that has been converted to a…read moreshopping center. It is on the side of the road in front of one of the few remaining home structures and while the home is private property, you can still see it from the road and right-of-way. Worth a stop if you're heading to 13 Stripes or The Farehouse. The marker reads on the front, "This is one of more than fifty houses built in 1923-24 for employees of Southern Bleachery, a textile processing plant opened at the east end of Mill St. in 1924. The mill village and plant were designed by J.E. Sirrine & Co. The village and nearby area included churches, stores, schools, a gold course, and tennis courts used by workers." And on the reverse, "Housing for the plant's overseers was located here on what became known as "Boss Hill." The house on this corner was home to mill superintendents and was the largest of eight Craftsman-style cedar-shake bungalows and garages built on the hill. Houses in the village were company-owned until 1965, when Southern Bleachery closed after several decades as the largest employer in Taylors." [Review 19506 overall - 1077 in South Carolina - 476 of 2023.]

I will admit that I did not know the "name" of this bridge despite having walked across it…read morecountless times, although it has only been known by this name for the past couple of years. It's not the expansive Liberty Bridge that is most commonly associated with the Reedy River downtown, but it is a convenient and heavily foot-trafficked crossing just up the river that many people recognize. It's located parallel to Main Street and can be accessed by stairs on either side. The bright green bridge connects with the Swamp Rabbit Trail on one side and the sidewalks that go through the Wyche Pavilion and Peace Center amphitheater on the other. The bridge crosses over the Reedy right where there are concrete structures, looking somewhat like a dam, that are part of an old railroad trestle. The water spills over here providing lots of white noise, especially in combination with the other nearby water features and wall fountains.

This bridge was an educational experience for me. But not until the first time I finally paused to…read moretake in the signage. Eugenia Duke began her path to fame in 1917 by making sandwiches in her home kitchen to sell to the army during WWI. Her sandwiches were good but it was all about the Mayo. Years later at the urging the of those soldiers, she began bottling it in 1923. Knowing this makes me an even bigger fan of Duke's mayonnaise. Oh, wait. The icon bridge is pretty cool, too.

Beautiful example of a southern plantation house. The house and grounds have a rich history. Our…read moretour guide was very knowledgeable and gave interesting details as we went through each room. Pictures are not allowed inside the house. Some families that once lived here donated furniture that was in the house at the time. The pieces of furniture and accents are gorgeous! The design of some of the tables and even some door hinges was ingenious. This is well worth the stop if you're nearby!

This interesting three panel display stands in downtown Greenville near the Reedy River park. This…read moreis a mostly pedestrian area but there is street parking nearby. The front three panels read, "Josh White was born in Greenville on Dean Street in 1914. Only a decade later, and after the tragic loss of his father, he became what was known as a "guide boy" for blind musicians. and traveled throughout the south, beginning his own musical journey. During this time, he honed his technique, playing traditional spirituals and later secular music. Developing what would become his signature style. The Piedmont Blues. "By the 1950's, Josh White had established an international reputation having traveled throughout Europe and Scandinavia. His celebrity was reflected in the televised production of the "Josh White Show" in Stockholm, in 1962. "Josh White was an eloquent and powerful voice for justice, equality and civil rights. He performed his music as he lived his life: with tremendous courage and remarkable clarity." And on the reverse, "Joshua Daniel White, September 1, 1950. Testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee. I am proud of the fact that under our system of freedom, everyone is able to speak out -- or in my case sing out -- against what we consider wrong and what we consider right. The love I have for America, the land of my birth which has given me every opportunity, is far too great to permit of any other allegiance. I am solely devoted to the principle of a democracy like ours that stands for the welfare of all of its people regardless of race, creed or color. "America is the best and freest country in the world. It is the kind of democracy that makes it possible to fight injustice and to achieve progress. I got to hate Jim Crow for what it did to me personally and because Jim Crow is an insult to God's creatures and a violation of the Christian beliefs taught by my father. That's how I became a folksinger. Besides the family, I decided that I have a duty to other folksingers and artists in general, especially young people just getting started. They face the same things I did. I hope they will give themselves to good causes as generally I have tried to do. "As long as my voice and spirit hold out, I shall keep on singing of the hope, joys and grievances of ordinary folk. I shall stand shoulder to shoulder with those who are pushed around and humiliated and discriminated against no matter what their race or creed may be." [Review 2225 of 2024 - 1192 in South Carolina - 23243 overall]

The South still remembers the Civil War and this monument in front of the Anderson County…read moreCourthouse stands to remember those from here who went to fight for the Confederacy. It is surrounded by a low metal fence which may be why it remains standing and undesecrated. The memorial was erected in 1902 and has inscriptions on the base. On one side with a battle flag, "Though conquered, we adore it! Love the cold, dead hands that bore it!" On the next, a list of some of the bloodiest battle sites including Manassas, Sharpsburg, Chickamauga, Gettysburg and Franklin. On the third side, "The world shall yet decide, in truth's clear far-off light, that the soldiers who wore the gray, and died, with Lee, were in the right." The fourth side is a long eloquent poem. It continues with "Our Confederate Dead" and the statue atop the monument stands 7 feet and 6 inches. It is carved of Tennessee gray marble. Major William Wirt Humphreys served as the model. The memorial remains in decent condition for being over 100 years in a busy spot. It could probably use a cleaning. The statue remains standing as South Carolina law prevents any removal efforts. [Review 1370 of 2025 - 1327 in South Carolina - 24922 overall]

I get to be the first person to review the dump. Woo Hoo! It actually is surprising that we came…read morehere about noontime on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and the line to the landfill was at least 35 vehicles deep. It must have been date day at the dump because most of the vehicles were pickup trucks with couples in them. We even joked around with the attendant that we were on a date. Gonna hit up the pawn shop and the hot dog cart a little bit later. The personnel here really are very friendly and helpful. The line moved quickly and we got in and out fairly fast. No hassles and we had wood, metal, and general trash from cleaning the garage. What a great bonding time.

The first courthouse for Anderson County was completed in 1828. In 1850, a grand edifice was added…read moreand the building's brick walls were plastered over and painted white. Four large Grecian columns were erected on a portico at each end. On the buildings western end, a belfry tower was added with a large bell that could be rung to signify the time, or to notify citizens of special events such as weddings or funerals or to sound a civil defense alert or fire alarm. By the 1890's, the county had outgrown the courthouse and in 1898, a mid-Victorian style courthouse was built on the site of the old one. This new building is today the "historic" courthouse, which was renovated to include an addition on the east side of the building in 1939 and an annex added in 1940. The "new" courthouse was built in 1991 though the "historic" courthouse was updated with new electrical and plumbing. Today, the historic courthouse of Anderson County contains administrative offices and hosts County Council meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. The building is open to the public (subject to the usual security). There is street parking nearby and a parking lot not far away. [Review 209 of 2025 - 1263 in South Carolina - 23773 overall]

Such a quick response! I talked to Noel and he was very nice and very well informed. I give him a…read more10 plus!

Early Saturday Morning, we stopped by the Pickens County Courthouse and found the town setting up…read morefor what looked like a pretty large street market. The kind where you can tell half the county is about to show up with produce, crafts and probably a few things involving boiled peanuts. Sadly, the coffee vendor hadn't finished setting up yet and the rest of the market was going to be a bit so it was just the courthouse and moving on. Even with the quiet streets and the vendors still unloading, the courthouse sits confidently at the center of town, a solid red-brick anchor that immediately says Pickens takes its civic history seriously. Pickens County itself dates back to 1826, carved out of the old Pendleton District and named for General Andrew Pickens, a Revolutionary War figure whose home, Hopefully, stood not far from here. The county seat moved to its present location in 1868 after the district was split, and the courthouse that stands today reflects that post-Civil War era of rebuilding and re-centering civil life. The building's proportions, brickwork and symmetry fit nearly into the late 19-th-century Southern courthouse tradition of dignity, practicality and projecting stability of the law. It's the kind of structure that looks like it has always been here, even though the county seat itself shifted locations over time. Standing here on a sleepy Saturday morning with the market slowly coming to life around it, the courthouse feels less like a monument to dramatic legal battles and more like a reminder of how communities build themselves over time: brick by brick, case by case and weekend by weekend. There is a dedicated courthouse parking lot just down the hill. That's a good access point to the veterans memorial in the rear of the building. [Review 494 of 2026 - 1420 in South Carolina - 25676 overall]