Car Accident Attorney inLyman, SC

LYMAN — Despite being less than 70 years old, the town of Lyman will celebrate its 100th anniversary in November as it reaches back beyond its incorporation to its mill town origin story.

Life in Lyman, a town of about 7,000 tucked between Spartanburg and Greer, once revolved around Pacific Mills. Opened in 1924, it was once one of the largest textile mill employers in Spartanburg County.

Redevelopment plans on Pacific Street are moving forward as the town prepares for growth while embracing that its history is tightly woven with the mill’s. Instead of the town’s incorporation, Lyman’s November centennial celebration marks the anniversary of construction of the mill that put it on the map.

$6.5M Lyman development adds townhomes to downtown mixed-use plan

The history of Pacific Mills in Groce’s Stop

In 1923, Pacific Mills purchased 700 acres from the Groce family. Production began in 1924 at what was first called the Lyman Printing and Finishing Mill, which had 375 houses built between 1923 and 1925. The cost to construct the mill and houses was $6 million.

The mill expanded in 1927 and most of its houses still exist, though a few were destroyed by a tornado in May 1973. It operated until 2005 and was demolished in 2012, save for a few smokestacks, the boiler room and a five-story administration building near downtown.

The town was originally called Groce’s Stop after the general store that was built there in the 1870s by August Belton Groce.

Alton Free, 72, has lived in Lyman for most of his life and began working at the mill when he turned 16. He’s one of many who remember the mill despite its lack of physical presence.

“Growing up here, everything centered around the mill,” Free said. “At the time, it was the largest employer in Spartanburg County. I did all types of jobs there. I inspected cloth, unloaded dye bags and drove a forklift.”

New Lyman mixed-use development viewed as bellwether for downtown

Free worked second shift at the mills while he attended Wofford College and eventually became a supervisor. His mill career continued until 1976, and he’s watched as Lyman continually redefines itself years after the mill’s closure.

Long-time resident Hilda Morrow, 81, said downtown was thriving when the mill operated. There were was a furniture store, drug store and dry cleaner downtown where you could pay your telephone and power bills all in one place. Her family’s mill house had a particular view thanks to a coal stockpile.

“The coal pile kept growing and it looked like a black mountain behind our house,” Morrow said.

In 2008, Morrow established a group called “Days at Pacific Mills a Lyman Group” to help reconnect those who, like her family, once worked at the mill. She’s excited about the town’s 100th anniversary celebration planned for Nov. 4 and Nov. 5 in downtown. While the mill was established in 1923, the town wasn’t incorporated until 1954. The 100th anniversary celebration marks the start of the mill’s construction.

Redevelopment at Pacific Mills

Lyman recently purchased 32 acres at the former mill site with plans to redevelop the site into mixed-use with retail and housing. The Environmental Protection Agency tested the site in 2019 and the town recently hired Greenville-based SynTerra Corporation to help guide the redevelopment process with public input.

A feasibility study’s findings on how the property might be redeveloped is scheduled to be completed in October.

“The town did acquire the parcels with hopes to partner with a developer to bring it back to life,” town administrator Noel Blackwell said. “A majority of people have said they want retail, dining and open space at the site.”

Spartanburg County town seeks developers for 50-acre former textile mill

If the site is redeveloped, it’s expected to help boost business downtown. Lyman Mayor Glenn Greer said there’s already been renewed interest in downtown with at least five new businesses opening over the past few years.

That doesn’t include the $6.5 million mixed-use development that is under construction at Groce and Elliott Roads near downtown. The project will be completed in three phases and include new townhomes. Its plans include iron balconies, private interior stairwells, fountains and underground trash disposal. The apartments and shops will be 900 square feet each, with restaurant space taking 4,100 square feet.

“Obviously, the mill started it all and we were fortunate to have that type of employment to draw people here looking for work,” Greer said. “We can look back with fond memories of the mill. We are proud of that heritage.”

Greer said he expects more growth throughout the town to continue with more demand for housing and industry.

“We will continue to develop where it is possible and do it responsibly and do what we can to promote more business,” Greer said.

The Lyman Centennial Celebration is 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 4 at the Park of Lyman at 81 Groce Road. It continues Nov. 5 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Lyman Event Center at 59 Groce Road. For more information about the event, visit lymansc.gov.

Many road and bridge projects are planned this year in Spartanburg County by state and county transportation departments.

Spartanburg County projects

Funded projects on county-maintained roads this year include:

► Intersection improvements at 4th Street/Hanging Rock and Valley Falls roads in Boiling Springs; Lightwood Knott and South Hammett Roads at Reidville Road; Willis Road at U.S. 29; and the installation of a traffic signal on S.C. 290 at Draexlmaier in Duncan.

Also, the county will continue to resurface roads, replace and repair bridges and large culverts on county-owned roads.

More:Spartanburg County roads see greater need than road projects planned

Projects planned on county-maintained bridges and culvert replacements include:

► Calvary Road Bridge, Miller Town Road Bridge, Gate Road Bridge, Rabbit Moffit Road Bridge, Reidville Sharon Road Bridge, Beardon Road Bridge, Waspnest Road Bridge, Frey Road Bridge, and Settles Road Bridge.

More:A look at some of the key Spartanburg County, state road improvements planned for 2021

Spartanburg County Public Works Director Travis Brown said county road projects such as improvements in Boiling Springs near Highway 9 are often done in tandem with state Transportation Department projects.

Other local projects

At the recent Spartanburg County Transportation Committee, comprised of state lawmakers who represent all or parts of Spartanburg County, these new projects were approved:

► Highway 14 East paving; widening of Robinson Road from Fulmer Drive to Highway 290; paving of Sloan Road/Mill Gin Road, from Jordan Road to Mt. Lebanon Road; paving of Shiloh Church Road, from Highway 358 to Wasp Nest Road; paving of Westmoreland Road in Greer; paving of East Church and Savannah streets, Tumbler Rock Road and Pebble Court in Cowpens; Edwards Lane in Duncan.

Also, Woods Chapel and Victor Hill Road intersection project; and curb, gutter and storm drainage improvements to Preston Street in Spartanburg.

South Carolina DOT projects

S.C. Department of Transportation projects planned in Spartanburg County this year include:

► Lyman Traffic Triangle, $6.5 million. Construction is expected to start this fall. Improvements to main intersection areas in the town of Lyman: U.S. 29 at Pine Ridge Road; S.C. 358/Holly Springs Road at Pine Ridge Road; S.C. 129 at Holly Springs Road and U.S 29. at S.C. 292. Nearby in Lyman, left turn lanes on U.S. 29 at Pine Ridge Road will be lengthened and left turn lanes added on Pine Ridge Road.

► Chesnee Highway and Old Post Road intersection. A traffic light will be installed, and a right turn lane added on eastbound Chesnee Highway, as well as left turn lanes on all four legs of the intersection.

► Old Post Road and Hyatt Street intersection. A traffic light will be installed and the intersection will be reconfigured to allow for through traffic to and from Interstate 85 along Hyatt Street, construction of a right turn lane on eastbound Old Post Road, and a left turn lane added on northbound Hyatt Street.

► Farmington Road will be extended a short distance to align with Old Post Road after the Old Post Road/Hyatt Street intersection is modified. The project is needed due to anticipated growth in the Gaffney area and the corridor’s proximity to both I-85 and the Gaffney Premium Outlets.

► Country Club Road corridor. The existing corridor is primarily a two-lane roadway that connects the City of Spartanburg at Union Street and South Pine Street to Glendale. The $6 million project is near the trailhead of the Mary Black Rail Trail and trails near Glendale Shoals and is expected to start this spring. The road will be widened, drainage improved and safety upgrades at key intersections for a multi-use pathway.

► A roundabout at S.C. 11 and Paris Bridge Road.

Planned paving and widening projects included in DOT's 10-year plan in Spartanburg County include:

► Holly Springs Road (SC 358), 3.3 miles; Bryant Road, 1.15 miles; Southgate Drive; 0.35 miles; Brice Road, 1 mile; Old Georgia Road, 2.65 miles; Lawson Road, 1.68 miles; Freeman Farm Road, 0.33 miles; Walnut Grove Road, 1.69 miles; Greenpond Road, 3.5 miles; S.C. Highway 101, 11.3 miles; S.C. 14 (East Rutherford Street), 1.45 miles; S.C. Highway 14 East, 0.54 miles; S.C. Highway 417, 2.3 miles.

► Also, Waddell Road, 1.83 miles; Fairfield Road, 0.9 miles; Fairfield Street, 0.51 miles; West Georgia Road, 2.69 miles; West Georgia Street, 0.89 miles; S.C. 292 (Inman Road), 2.59 miles; S.C. 292 (Lyman Road), 2.61 miles; South Pine Street, 0.52 miles; U.S. Highway 176 Bypass, 2.93 miles; S.C. Highway 14 West, 3.7 miles; S.C. Highway 14 (West Rutherford Street), 0.86 miles; S.C. Highway 56, 22.73 miles.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers from Spartanburg County are allocated state funds to designate for road projects in their districts.

Is there a road or project in Spartanburg County you want us to check on? Email Bob Montgomery at bob.montgomery@shj.com.

In today’s Living Upstate feature celebrating 100 years! The town of Lyman is gearing up to honor the centennial celebration with a big event. Town Administrator Noel Blackwell joins us to tell us about the events happening this weekend.

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A Converse University student made it through blind auditions on The Voice this week and chose to work with John Legend.

Emma Brooke, whose real name is Emma Brooke Alley, was chosen by Gwen Stefani and Legend after singing the Mamas and Papas hit “California Dream.’”

She is 19 and from Lyman, South Carolina. She’s trained in classical music but told the judges she wanted to branch out into contemporary music. She is a graduate of the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville.

Legend told her he wanted to work with her to help her “unlearn some of the structure that’s been put around” her.

On her Instagram page, she said “I’m so happy that everyone finally got to see what I’ve been working on over the summer! Thank you all so much for all of the love and support! I can’t wait to share this journey with you!”

The Voice tweeted to her: “You’ll fit right in on Team Legend.”

She started taking voice lessons when she was 6 years old.

Her first single “Feelin’ Good” was released in January.

She’s also a member of a blues, indie rock band called The Blue Executive.

“As a singer, musician and performer, I want my music and spirit to fill others’ hearts and souls with music that makes them feel good,” she said on her website. “I sing and perform to use the talent that God has blessed me with to touch and inspire everyone in the room and beyond.”

The Voice is on NBC Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and next day on Peacock.

This story was originally published September 28, 2022, 10:08 AM.

zach.fox@shj.com

A new facility is helping workers with disabilities in the Lyman area find employment more easily.

The S.C. Vocational Rehabilitation Department's Bryant Center in Lyman, just down the street from Byrnes High School, recently opened a new job training center. The facility is designed to provide job training to people with disabilities looking to enter the workforce.

"It was truly about 20 years in the making," said Jennie Thomas, Vocational Rehab area administrator. "It is truly the anchor piece of this whole facility."

The Bryant Center opened in 2010 with employment counseling and services. The training center opened in July, but next month, potential employers will be welcomed to the facility to learn more about the training it provides and the benefits workers there could have on business.

Thomas said the training center was the missing piece of the puzzle at the Bryant Center — giving workers with disabilities the chance to train in some of the jobs they'd likely get in the workforce.

"The problem (many businesses) have right now is people," said Jay Weisner, training center manager. "It's a win-win for us to help corporate partners. They bring a product in here and our people clock in and clock out, take breaks, so when they leave here, they already have the skills, the aptitude, to work. They're already training on-the-job to do the job."

The facility already has partnerships with Sloan Construction Co. and BPO American, a local call center.

Classes in heavy equipment operation, including an OSHA certification and simulator training, are available in the new facility. An on-site call center lets people field real, live calls from customers. Software and hardware similar to what's found in offices is in place to give those training the most hands-on experience possible, Thomas said.

The facility gets workers with disabilities ready to enter the workforce. Clients from age 15 up, some of whom come from Byrnes High, train there to get a better idea of how a workday typically goes what a typical businesses environment is like.

Weisner spent more than 30 years working in production for several private companies. He said his industry experience better enables the training center to mimic how business works.

"That is my background, with a master's degree and all that, but here, we recreate jobs at companies and industries in the area," he said. "We can benefit (trainees) in so many different ways. The things you see our clients doing are real jobs for real clients."

Friday morning, those trainees specially folded boxes that will be used to cover machinery pieces during transit and put together packages of plastic gloves used by workers in several fields.

The facility hit the ground running, welcoming 17 area businesses the day it opened this summer, Weisner said. Since, more than 100 businesses have signed on as partners.

"They get out of here and they get hired, that's the end goal," Weisner said.