New Things Happening in Glendale



It has been announced that the old iron bridge at Glendale will be renovated and restored at a cost of $600,000. The Palmetto Conservation Fund is working with Spartanburg County and the S.C. Department of Transportation to restore the bridge to its original appearance when it was first built about 1928. To read the full details in the Spartanburg Herald click on Renovating the Glendale Bridge

New Welcome Signs
Attractive new signs have been installed on the main roads into Glendale. See them at New Signs.

Webcam of Glendale Shoals Now in Operation
In April, 2012, a live video camera was installed with a view of Lawson's Fork and the shoals below the dam. This camera operates 24 hours a day and the view is available over the Internet at Glendale Shoals Webcam. Read more about the camera and what it does at  Lawson's Fork Camera.

Wofford College Wins Large Grant
Wofford's environmental studies program has received a $383,000 grant from the Margaret A. Cargill (MAC) Foundation to fund the initiative that will bring the college community together with local citizens to focus on local rivers that will include Lawson's Fork Creek. Read full story at Gargill Grant.

Wofford Hosts Symposium on Small Dams
Wofford has hosted "The Dam Symposium: Small-Scale Dams & Hydro from Three Perspectives" as part of the Santee Cooper Lecture Series on Sustainability & Energy.  The dam at Glendale is part of Wofford's Goodall Environmental Studies Center.  To learn more about the symposium, click on this link.


Scenic River Designation sought for Pacolet and Lawson's Fork Creek
(August, 2008) - Efforts are underway to secure having parts of the Pacolet River and Lawson's Fork Creek declared Scenic Rivers. This  is an important step in safeguarding the waterways and increasing tourism for the area. See details on the page, Scenic Rivers.


The Friends of Glendale is an organization dedicated to furthering the interests of the Glendale community. The organization is soliciting new members that are interested in the community. The purpose of the group and the application form to join can be seen on the page, Friends of Glendale.



There was a meeting of the Friends of Glendale on Saturday, Oct. 20th  @  7:00 PM  at the  Glendale Outdoor Leadership School to discuss important issues. These included:

 Wofford College's Environmental  Studies Program coming to our   community (status of development,
and what does it mean, for us?) presented by B.G. Stephens
                  
 Proposed Pond Restoration presented by B.G. Stephens
                  
Palmetto Conservation Foundation  (the Glendale Outdoor Leadership School --goals and current programs, and how these relate to our community? --also, status of  PCF developments along Lawsons Fork)  presented by George Fields
 
 SPACE  plans for the Lawsons Fork flood  plain -- preservation and recreational development)  presented by Ben Correll
 
A Question and Answer session followed the meeting.

 
Outdoor Learning Center and Leadership School (Methodist Church Project)
In June, 2005, the Glendale United Methodist Church was closed by the South Carolina Methodist Conference because of declining attendence. The church building and surrounding property has been reborn and being utilized as an Outdoor Learning Center and Leadership School. This is a joint effort of people in the community and the Palmetto Conservation Foundation. The new Outdoor Center will provide recreational and educational opportunities both for local residents and for tourists and will help stimulate the local economy. Further details are available on their website at http://www.setGOLS.org.

 
Palmetto Conservation Foundation
The Palmetto Conservation Foundation also has moved its headquarters to Glendale. The mission of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation is to conserve South Carolina's natural and cultural resources, preserve historic landmarks, and promote outdoor recreation through trails and greenways. See additional information at: http://palmettoconservation.org/.


Wofford Environmental Studies Center
Wofford College has established an Environmental Studies Center  operating from the former mill office. The full story of this unique Center and a photo of the office is shown at Wofford Environmental Studies Center.

The new program will combine existing and new courses, the diverse expertise of dozens of participating faculty members and state-of-the-art technologies and facilities. It will operate both on Wofford’s campus and at Glendale. 

Possible Future Projects
There are several projects that have been discussed but are only in the theoretical "What if?" stage.  Right now they are only in the discussion stage and might or might not become a reality.

Rebuild the lake and reservoir. For many years, there was a sizeable lake above the dam. The purpose of this dam was to provide a source of water power for the mill. Consideration and study is being given to rebuilding the lake. This would be a great source of recreation to the Glendale residents and visitors. The new lake would also be an asset for the Outdoor Center that is going to be in the former Methodist Church.

Build a working replica of the Iron Works. An operational replica of the old Iron Works would be a great tourist attraction and also an educational asset for the area's students. All of the details including where, how size, etc. still have to be worked out. However, if the Iron Works could be built, it would be unique in the state and the South.

Hydroelectric generation using the old dam. Install the proper equpment and use Lawson's Fork and the old dam to generate hydroelectric power to be used with the new projects, particularly the proposed Environmental Studies Center. This idea would be greatly enhanced if the lake and reservoir are  rebuilt. There are numerous potential problems in bringing this idea to a reality. They include financing, local, state and federal environmental regulations. If done, this project has the potential to eventually pay for itself and be a source of funds for the other projects.



(This old postcard shows how the lake looked in the early 1900's.)



B. G. Stephens is a native of Glendale and has been very active in the Friends of Glendale organization and assisting with the various exciting projects that are happening with the the community. He has accumulated a variety of material that  is pertinent to Glendale and the new projects and has arranged to make the material available on this web site. You can see a list of the material he has and gain access to it through links on the page, Glendale Reports.

This web site has been started as a public service to share the story of Glendale. The web master and person to contact about putting information on the web site is Mary McKinney Teaster.  Contact her at:
marylee@glendalesc.com or by telephone at (843) 873-8117. See more information about Mary and her Glendale connection at Mary McKinney Teaster.