PACOLET
Around
1743 John Grindel came to the Pacolet River valley. He had heard about the beautiful river and the fertile land from
the white traders who dealt with the Cherokee Indians.
After
the treaty with the Cherokees in 1753, it soon became the largest settlement in
the Up Country.
Some
historians say Pacolet got its name from the French settler named
“Packolette”. Others say it got its
name from the Indians. Pacolet was
known as Grindal Shoals, Pacolet Mills was called Trough Shoals, and Clifton
was called Hurricane Shoals. At one
time Pacolet was called Buzzards Roost.
Major
John Tolleson is said to have been the first settler in what is now the town of
Pacolet. He owned a tavern on the
stagecoach road from Spartanburg to Columbia, near Church Street. Most of the settlers were farmers and fought
on the side of the Colonies during the Revolutionary War. General Daniel Morgan camped on the north
side of Grindal shoals before heading to the Battle of Cowpens.
Farming
was the mainstay during the next one hundred years. When cotton mills came to the area, cotton became “king” and was
the number one crop.
In
1883, the first mill at Pacolet began operations. The other two mills soon followed. The mill provided employment, houses, schools, churches, and
stores for its employees.
The
first school in Pacolet was Pacolet Academy, a one-room building built in
1874.
In
1890, a second small school was built.
In
1898, a three-room building was constructed on this site.
In
1915, a two-story brick building was built on Highway 176 and in 1927 burned to
the ground.
A
new school replaced this one in 1929 for grades 1 – 11.
In
1955, an elementary school was built for grades 1 – 6 so the 1929 building was
used for grades 7 – 12. In the mid
1960s this elementary building became a Primary School for grades 1 – 3 and
grades 4 – 6 went to the Benjamin Mays building (elementary).
The
1955 elementary building is now a boarding home for senior citizens.
In
1976, Broome High School was built. The
old Pacolet High School became a junior high for grades 7 – 9. Broome consolidated high school students
from Pacolet and Cowpens.
In
1979, the present Pacolet Elementary School (K – 5) was built and Mays became
the present Middle School of Pacolet
(6 – 8).
