SC Picture Project » Union

Downtown Union

SCIWAY — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:33:19 +0000

The City of Union was first settled in the late 1740s and named for the old Union church, which served several different congregations. Union saw most of its initial growth in the years prior to the Revolutionary War, when settlers cleared the river and creek bottoms to plant tobacco, corn, and grains.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

The above picture shows an unusually quiet Main Street in historic downtown Union. Here you’ll find a variety of specialty shops, unique architecture, and the Union County Museum. Also within walking distance are the Union Town Clock and the Union County Courthouse.

SCIWAY would like to thank Ann Helms of Spartanburg for submitting this picture. Ann writes, “These are some of the restored buildings along Main Street in Union, including the old Dodds 5 & 10 cent store built in 1890. Most of the downtown was built between 1878 and 1940 during the heyday of the railroad in Union.”

Juxa Plantation

SCIWAY — Thu, 12 May 2011 18:53:53 +0000

this page is permanently redirected via htaccess

Union County Courthouse

SCIWAY — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:54:34 +0000

As you can see, this courthouse is an impressive feature on Main Street in the City of Union, the county seat of Union County. In the early days of World War I, Union County was the only county in the nation that did not have a draft because its draft quotas were filled by volunteers.

The county was named for the old Union church, which was so named because it served the Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian congregations.

Buffalo Mill

SCIWAY — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:54:34 +0000

The Buffalo Mill was just one of many textile mills built in South Carolina during the early to mid-1900s. Construction on the mill began in 1900, and the office (pictured here) was built in 1902. This building is part of the Buffalo Mill Historic District in the city of Buffalo, located in Union County.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

Other buildings in the historic mill district include a power house, an ice factory, a company store, and a bank and drug store. All of the buildings are listed in the National Historic Register.

The engineering firm belonging to W.B. Smith Whaley designed the buildings and many other textile plants across the state. While the mill is slowly being demolished, the office has been restored. The historic mill district in Buffalo is probably the best remaining example of a South Carolina mill town.

SCIWAY thanks Ann Helms of Spartanburg who provided this picture and historical information.

Union Carnegie Library

SCIWAY — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 10:54:34 +0000

Between 1905 and 1916, 13 libraries were built in South Carolina with grants from the Carnegie Corporation. Seen here, Union County‘s library is the oldest of South Carolina’s Carnegie libraries and one of only five still in active use as public libraries today.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

To be eligible to receive a $10,000 library grant from the Carnegie Corporation, a local community had to agree to raise any remaining construction costs and also maintain the library after it was built. In 1905, citizens of Union County purchased the lot for the building and raised an additional $3,500.

In 2009, Union’s library was named the Best Small Library in America by the Library Journal.

SCIWAY thanks Carol Gant of Rock Hill for sharing this photo with us.

See a photo of the Williamsburg Carnegie Library in Kingstree.

Union Town Clock

SCIWAY — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:54:34 +0000

Arthur State Bank gave this clock in February of 1995 in memory of Major General Harry M. Arthur. The bank and clock are located at 100 East Main Street. SCIWAY thanks Chris Austin for providing this picture.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.