Summer Challenge: Go to Textile Heritage Park
Origionally published in Saltbox Quarterly
Every state has a Greenville. But our Greenville is such a unique and vibrant city that we've given it the hashtag #YeahTHATGreenville. But does all of Greenville fall under that hashtag?
The city does, but what about the county? The east side does but what about the West Side? Can we connect our community’s history as a textile powerhouse (mostly on the West Side) to our modern comfort and innovation (downtown and East Side)?
Yes. And a simple first step we can all take is just going to the park. Not Just any park. Textile Heritage park.
The ‘Textile Heritage Park is like a living museum. You literally walk through history. There are 12 alcoves scattered alongside an easy lap of a concrete trail where you stop and read tributes to 12 former Greenville mills and their workers.
The “and their workers” is important. These memorials pay homage to the men and women who worked in the textile mills and essentially put Greenville on the map. It’s not just information, but a window into the culture of West Greenville and the folks who live here - many of whom are the grand, and great-grand, kids of those mill workers.
Some Greenvillians, particularly those in the more affluent areas of the city, mistakenly over-associate West Greenville with all things negative. While it's true West Greenville faces some difficult challenges, including life under the poverty line, the majority of its residents are actually working class individuals who are dedicated, resilient, and industrious.
In Poe Mill, for example, roughly 90% of the neighborhood is employed, mainly in manual labor and other roles that require a lot of energy exertion. I think we all believe this is honorable.
So, understand, though West Greenville is home to some of our low-income neighbors, it’s simultaneously home to some of our hardest working neighbors who will drop everything to do anything for someone in need. They learned that from the people who raised them. The kind of people each of the 12 monuments represent. The kind of people we honor when we visit the park.
Many Greenvillians, even in the more affluent areas of our city, recognize this, love West Greenville, and desire to see more unity and involvement between those who live on the East and West sides, but don’t know what steps they can take to make that happen.
We believe visiting Textile Heritage Park is an easy step we can all take in the direction of unity. This park is a vital community space because it fosters a sense of connection. This is true whether you live one minute or twenty minutes away from the park.
For West-siders, this park offers a sense of community pride for its contribution to the Greenville we all know and love today. For Eastsiders, it's a chance to adventure over to a side of town you don't usually see and be present for a place that can sometimes feel abandoned. Just by visiting the park you’ll both learn more about the West Side and enjoy being on the West Side in all of its beauty.
Textile heritage park is peaceful and mostly quiet. There's a great playground for the kids, with multiple slides and stuff to climb on. There’s also vast green space, public restrooms, and a pavilion for picnics. Plus, who knows who you'll meet. There's often community residents relaxing on a bench and taking in some sunshine. Ask them how long they've lived in the area, it could make for interesting conversation.
The more this park becomes a community hub, the better it is for the future of our city. Our challenge to you is to forgo your usual park and hold your next family gathering, community event, or play date at Textile Heritage Park.
When you do, you'll be taking a step towards putting all of Greenville under the popular hashtag #YeahTHATGreenville. All with the beautiful Monaghan Mill stack towering over you in the background.
Photos by Isaac Cropsey
