The History

Positioned between Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina on what was once Cherokee hunting ground, the town of Pelzer spans the two counties of Anderson and Greenville, and is divided by the Saluda River. The area is studded with landmarks from the past. From pioneer log cabins to stately mansions, the area holds treasures for those wishing to explore its history. Anderson was heralded as the “City of Hospitality” for its gracious air and beautiful gardens. During the industrial revolution it was reborn as the “Electric City” for its pioneering use of hydroelectric power.

In the mid-1700’s, General Robert Anderson, with General Andrew Pickens, explored the Cherokee land that was to become Anderson, settled by pioneering small farmers of Scots-Irish and English descent. Anderson sparked the Industrial Revolution in the South with the first long-distance transmission of hydroelectric power. Anderson was dubbed the “Electric City”. The county boasts the state’s oldest cotton mill in operation, Pendleton Factory (now La France Industries), built in 1838. For decades after the Civil War, cotton continued as the region's primary cash crop. Cotton mills and industrialization fueled a growing cash economy. Just as earlier towns had been named for statesmen and soldiers such as Pickens and Anderson, now places were named for industrialists and business people -- Norris, Easley, Pelzer, Belton, and Williamston.

Chosen in 1881 by Captain Ellison Smyth (with his partners Francis J Pelzer and William Lebby) because of the proximity to a branch of the Southern Railway and the Saluda River, the site grew from three log cabins and 20 people to an astounding 700 dwellings and 4,000 people (2,800 employees) by 1895. Pelzer Mill had the first incandescent lighting system ever installed in a cotton mill. The first electric generators ever made by General Electric Company were used in Pelzer. Another innovation brought about by the industrialists in the town of Pelzer was mandatory education. Employees of the mill signed an agreement that all members of their family between the ages of five and 12 would attend school for 10 months of the year.

Pelzer Primary School originated in 1882 with an enrollment of thirteen students. These students attended classes in a two room house that was used as a temporary school. Some time later, the first school was built in Pelzer around 1885. A history of excellent education for the children of Pelzer had begun. Enrollment of the school grew, and in 1896 it became necessary to have two school buildings. In the years 1899 through 1900 another building was added and a kindergarten was started. This was the first kindergarten in Anderson County.