Brent Nelsen for Education

Ware Shoals, sitting in three counties-Greenwood, Laurens and Abbeville-is typical of many small South Carolina towns.  It was once a bustling community with a cotton mill looming high over neat homes with front porches, a company store, company-built churches, a company-provided community center and a baseball stadium. Five thousand people worked in the mill and provided a living for their families.

The Riegel Textile Mill closed in 1985 and the heart of Ware Shoals seemed to stop beating. The town began to contract; jobs were scarce and children grew up and moved out. Eventually the mill was torn down leaving a gaping hole in the town.

Has the town given up and resigned itself to a slow death? Not a chance! I found a core of energetic leaders-including the current mayor, Sonny Frederick and the former mayor, George Rush-with a vision for the future and a willingness to innovate.

The first example of innovation involves a library. Ware Shoals High School needed one; so did the community. Instead of investing in two different libraries, the town leaders decided to build a single public library with a connection to the high school. Private donations provided the bulk of the funding; a little money from the state allowed the project to move forward, and now the high school students and local citizens have an excellent library that is open long after school hours. The community and the school have cooperated and innovated to solve a common problem.

The second example involves an historic landmark, the Ware Shoals Inn. Visionary leaders and an innovative developer have resurrected the beautiful building that was once a neglected and abandoned piece of local heritage.  Using tax credits from the federal government as incentives, Frank Warlick has attracted private investors to fund the transformation of the Inn into a low cost apartment building for seniors. It is already bringing beauty and life back to the center of Ware Shoals.

Finally, there is a vision for the old mill site that could revive the entire community. The site requires environmental work before it can be used, but once this is finished the town will seek to develop the site into a multiuse complex.  Such a development would reconnect the town to a stunning section of the Saluda River.

Town leaders know that “Granny Riegel” will never return to Ware Shoals and understand that the community must seek a new purpose. They have a realistic vision of creating a physically attractive, family-oriented community for people who work in Greenville and Greenwood. Quiet innovation is reviving Ware Shoals.