Great Falls Downtown Historic District
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Dearborn Street (between Church St. and Republic St.), Great Falls, SC (Chester County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817712017
Description and Narrative:
The Great Falls Downtown Historic District includes fourteen contributing and one non-contributing building. The contributing properties represent the development of the downtown as a center of commerce between circa 1910 and circa 1930, which exemplifies the growth and development of a textile mill community in the Piedmont of South Carolina. Great Falls was a site with hydroelectric potential and Southern Power completed the first powerhouse and dam at Great Falls in 1907. The partners in the hydroelectric endeavor, along with other investors, also organized the Republic Textile Mills Company to capitalize on the abundant power made available at the site. The first mill was online by 1910 with a few hundred workers living around the mill and a company store. A second mill and mill village was in operation by 1917, and a third by 1923. The company also constructed a downtown commercial area to serve the new community. The town was named Great Falls in honor of the nearby natural feature. The historic district consists of the buildings constructed by the Republic Textile Mills Company between circa 1910 and circa 1930 to provide a commercial area to meet the needs of the mill workers and their families. Listed in the National Register June 2, 2000.
Period of Significance:
circa 1910;circa 1910 – 1930
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Commerce
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
June 2 2000
