A Short History of Greenville

A concise and engaging history that traces Greenville's development from frontier settlement to one of America's best small cities

Today, Greenville, South Carolina, is regularly included on lists of the best cities and best places to live in the United States. The present-day site of technological innovation nestled in the Piedmont of America's Southeast, Greenville is promoted as a future-oriented city and a weekend getaway for tourists interested in art, culture, nature, and cuisine.

In this lively historical account illustrated with over 60 images, author Judith T. Bainbridge invites readers to explore the full expanse of Greenville's history, from its earliest days as Cherokee hunting grounds, to its development as a frontier settlement, and later a nineteenth-century summer resort; from the economic boom brought by the textile industry, to the bust of the Great Depression, and finally to the revitalization of the downtown as a haven for business and tourism in the twenty-first century. Key leaders and colorful figures populate the story and help bring Greenville's history to life. Vardry McBee, the "father of Greenville"; James C. Furman, namesake of Furman University; baseball legend "Shoeless" Joe Jackson; activist Viola Neblett; and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, among many others, called Greenville home, and all helped to shape the once quiet village into the leading city that it has become today. Readers will discover the historical roots of Greenville's remarkable development and how the past continues to shape not only its present but also guides its future.