By the 1930s, sixteen major cotton mills and two dye/bleaching/processing mills lay within three miles of downtown Greenville, forming a crescent around the growing city. The entrepreneurs who built these mills and their villages became leaders in the southern textile industry and set out not only to build an empire, but also build the upstate of South Carolina. During this specially designed self-guided driving tour, you will have the opportunity to learn about mills that are still standing and share the fascinating history of what was once known as the “Textile Center of the World.” Participants will be able to enter nearly half of the locations and knowledgeable docents will be available at each location to give the history. Mills included in the tour are Mills Mill, Franklin, Dunean, Westervelt/Judson, Judson II, Brandon, Piedmont Plush, KM Fabrics, Woodside, Carolina/Poinsett, Southern Weaving, Monaghan, Riverdale, Union Bleachery, Simpson/American Spinning, and Poe.

During this specially designed self-guided driving tour, you will have the opportunity to learn about mills that are still standing and share the fascinating history of what was once known as the "Textile Center of the World."

The tour will begin at the Upcountry History Museum with an in-person presentation by Greenville Historical Society board member and historian Don Koonce.