“G” is for Greenwood County

“G” is for Greenwood County (456 square miles; 2020 population 71,074). Located in the lower Piedmont southwest of the Saluda River, Greenwood County was created in 1897. Its boundaries were carved out of Abbeville and Edgefield Counties. Thus, Greenwood joined four other new counties, all established in 1897 to strengthen the rural base of Ben Tillman's political machine. The new county possessed a rich Revolutionary War heritage, centered on the town of Ninety Six. Completed in 1940, the Buzzards Roost Dam on the Saluda River created Lake Greenwood and generated electricity with the county-owned power plant. For nearly a century, the textile industry was the backbone of the county’s economy. In the 1950s local leaders began an effort to attract more diverse industry. The campaign was successful, highlighted in 1988 when Fuji Photo Film opened a manufacturing facility in Greenwood County.