graniteville, south carolina

Graniteville is an unincorporated community in Aiken County, South Carolina, located on U.S. Highway 1, five miles (8 km) west of Aiken. In 1990, Graniteville had a population of 1,158. Graniteville dates back to the 1840s. William Gregg built the South's first cotton mill in what became known as Graniteville. His mill town included 90 homes, several boarding houses, six stores, two churches, and a school for the mill workers and their families. The community got its name because most of those buildings were constructed of blue granite. Graniteville remains home to several major textile plants, now part of Avondale Mills, a company which is one of the largest denim manufacturers in the United States. It is also home to a Bridgestone/Firestone Tire and Rubber Company plant. On January 6, 2005, a freight train struck a parked train outside Avondale's Woodhead plant. One of the train cars was carrying liquid chlorine, which when released was vaporized into a poisonous cloud. As of January 9, 2005, nine people were dead and more than 250 injured.

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