New Things Happening in Glendale and on this Website
Dr. Bobby G. Stephens
There Will be No Transfer of Ownership of Website - Posted March 22, 2024Glendale native and major community supporter passed away in June of 2024. You can read more details at Bobby Stephens - Posted July 3, 2024.
Plans for transferring ownership of the Glendale website to USC Upstate have been canceled. For some reason, not given to us, the University chose not to proceed with those plans.
New Ownership of Glendale Website - Posted September 7, 2023Starting in January, 2024, the ownership and hosting of the Glendale website will be transferred to the University of South Carolina Upstate. This will make it possible for the website to be available for viewers in the future. However, it also means that new content will not be added to the website after that time. For full details see New Ownership of Glendale Website.
Mary Lee McKinney Teaster - Posted May, 2023
It is with extreme sadness that I share this news on the Glendale website. My wife, Mary Lee McKinney Teaster, passed away in February after a long and debilitating illness. Her obituary can be read at Mary Teaster. I cannot begin to put into words how much I miss her.
Mary and I started the Glendale website almost 15 years ago. Mary grew up in Glendale and she had many fond memories of the place and the people.
Outdoor Learning Center and Leadership School (Methodist Church Project) - (Updated July 6, 2021)
In June, 2005, the Glendale United Methodist Church was closed by the South Carolina Methodist Conference because of declining attendance. 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 Outdoor Center will provide recreational and educational opportunities both for local residents and for tourists and will help stimulate the local economy. In February, 2020, the Palmetto Council of the Boy Scouts of America took ownership of the Center. The name was not changed but the program was greatly expanded to provide a place for Boy Scout and Cub Scout activities. Further details are available on their website at https://palmettocouncil.org/gols.
Charles Hammett - Posted December 7, 2020
We are very sorry to hear that Charles Hammett passed away on Friday, November 27, 2020. Charles was a native of Glendale. His Hammett family was one of the early settlers of the Glendale and Pacolet area. Read more at
Charles Hammett.
Glendale Bridge Project Wins Award - Posted January 24, 2019
The Preservation Committee of the Spartanburg County Historical Association has announced its choice for the annual Peggy Thompson Gignilliat Preservation Award. The 2019 award will go to the Glendale Shoals Bridge Restoration. Dr. Bobby G. Stephens, a Glendale native and a Pacolet High School graduate of 1953, was instrumental in conceiving the project and helping bring it to completion. For more information see GoUpstate Glendale Bridge Award.
The Bloody Scout and Glendale - Posted June 12, 2018
There were several Revolutionary War incidents that happened at Glendale because of its location and the presence of the Ironworks. One little-known event, named The Bloody Scout, had an impact on some of the people of the Glendale area near the end of the war in 1781. This was a campaign of assassination, murder and revenge. Click on the above link to read more.
Bridge Work Now Underway - August 17, 2017
Work has started on the renovation of the old iron Bridge in Glendale. You can read the details and see photos at Glendale Bridge Work Has Started.
More News about the Bridge Restoration Project - September 20, 2016.
Dr. B.G. Stephens has just released an update about the status of the project to renovate the Old Iron Bridge at Glendale. You can read this at Status of Glendale Bridge Project.
News about Restoring the Bridge - February 24, 2016
Local Book by Judge Bruce LittlejohnPlans have been in the works for a long time to restore the old iron bridge in Glendale. An article from the Spartanburg Herald on May 30, 2012 at http://www.goupstate.com/article/20120530/ARTICLES/205311015/1083/ARTICLES&tc=email_newsletter describes what will be involved in the restoration. There has been a recent positive development about the project. Dr. B. G. Stephens, who has been heavily involved with the effort to redo the bridge, has given us along the following:
Glendale, SC Bridge Restoration Update: February 24, 2016
Chris Jordan, the SCDOT Project Administrator for the Glendale bridge restoration project, passed along this information:
Request for proposals will go out on or near June 14, 2016
Mandated pre-bid meeting will be in late July, 2016
Bids will be opened on or near August 14, 2016
In late September, 2016 the low bidder will be notified to proceed
Project must be completed 18 months later (March, 2018)
The renovated bridge will be a big asset to the community and will preserve a link to Glendale's historic past.
Judge Bruce Littlejohn was a native of nearby Pacolet. He served as Chief Justice of the SC Supreme Court. In 2003, at the age of 90, he wrote about his childhood growing up in Pacolet in the book Pacolets I Have Known. Much of what he writes about was true also in Glendale at the time. You can read his book online at Judge Bruce Littlejohn.
Death of Rev. Clarence Crocker - Contributor to this Website
We are sad to report that Rev. Clarence Crocker passed away on May 29, 2015 at the age of 90. Rev. Crocker was an authority on the history of Glendale and its people. He authored approximately 250 articles for this website, the equivalent of several books. We appreciate all of his work and will miss his interesting stories. His death is a great loss to the Glendale community. Click on Rev. Crocker's Work Biography and the above link for more information.
Unusual Drone Views of Clifton, Glendale and Converse
We have recently become aware of some very interesting bird's eye views of Clifton, Glendale and Converse on YOU TUBE.
Birds Eye View of Glendale - about 1945
Rev. Clarence Crocker has furnished us an aerial photo of the Glendale Mill and village taken about 1945. A legend identifying important locations is also included. (Posted on Feb. 5, 2015.)Pacolet River Front Beach Opened at Clifton
New Spartanburg County Beach park opened at site of former Clifton Mills.
Paddle the Pacolet River
Spend the day paddling on the Pacolet River and eating BBQ. Click on the link above for details of the first "Paddle the Pacolet" event.
Importance of Bivingsville to the Spartanburg Area
Glendale ChroniclesUpstate Forever Meeting
The organization, Upstate Forever, held a recent meeting at Glendale. Click on Upstate Forever to read the Spartanburg Herald article about it.
Dr. B. G. Stephens has started issuing a periodic update on what is happening with the organizations and institutions affecting Glendale. Read the latest issue at Glendale Chronicles.
Bridge Renovation
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 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
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.
