Central, South Carolina
From ClemsonWiki
[edit] General Info
Central, South Carolina is a small town located about 5 miles from Clemson with a population of roughly 3,500, altitude 850 feet above sea level. Many Clemson University students live in Central, and the daily 10 minute commute along Highway 93 (also known as Old Greenville Highway), makes it a breeze to get from home to class.
"The first settlers in present-day Central were Methodist ministers. In 1873 the first post office was established as Centre. Its exact location remains a mystery, but national postal records indicate that in 1875 a second postmaster, Mr. Ross Eaton, replaced the first, Mr. George W. Burroughs. By this time, the town was referred to as Central," according to Piper Peter Aheron in "Pickens County", Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina, 2000, page 34, ISBN 0-7385-0606-0.
Established in 1873 as a division point where engine changes and major servicing took place for the newly-built Charlotte & Atlanta Division of the Richmond and Atlanta Air Line Railway, the town name derives from the fact that the shop facilities here were the central point between Atlanta and Charlotte, about 133 miles from each. Passengers would layover in the Central Hotel located here where meals were served before dining cars became common. With the rise of the textile industry in Greenville and the 1894 reorganization of the rail line into the Southern Railway System , the railroad shifted its operations (and most of its employees) northward on Sunday, July 4, 1897 and the Central shops closed. This ended Central's boom period. In 1903, the Isaqueena Cotton Mill opened and is still in operation as the Central Mill. The Central Roller Mill operated until the early 1980s, refining grain into flour. The mill facility now serves as an antique shop. The former Southern Railway depot was moved off the right-of-way in late 1973 or early 1974 and now serves as a town storage facility.
[edit] City Government
Town Hall
1067 West Main Street
P.O. Box 549
Central, SC 29630
Mayor: H. R. Holladay, Jr.
Administrator: W. Herbert Thompson, Jr
Clerk: Grace S. Towe, CMC
