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Greenville in Greenville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Falls Cottage

 
 
Falls Cottage Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, March 4, 2010
1. Falls Cottage Marker
Inscription.
Falls Cottage was originally used as a home by the Camperdown Mills Supervisor.

It has been many things including a home, gas station, and restaurant.

The West End became a settlement in the 1830s.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings.
 
Location. 34° 50.733′ N, 82° 24.15′ W. Marker is in Greenville, South Carolina, in Greenville County. Marker is on West Camperdown Way. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenville SC 29601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Dr. Charles Hard Townes (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Falls Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Liberty Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); The Touchstone House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chicora College (about 300 feet away); Josh White (about 300 feet away); Tate Plaza (about 300 feet away); Eugenia Duke Bridge (about 300 feet away); Thomas C. Gower Bridge (about 300 feet away); Vardry Dixon Ramseur, III (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.
 
Also see . . .
1. Reedy River Falls Historic Park and Greenway. The Reedy River Falls are not only the geographical
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but also the historical center of Greenville. (Submitted on April 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

2. Carolina Foothills Garden Club. Official website of Carolina Foothills Garden Club. (Submitted on April 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 

3. West End Commercial Historic District. The West End Commercial Historic District is significant as Greenville’s second “downtown,” with historic resources dating from ca. 1869 to ca. 1939, the majority of which date from the 1880s to the 1920s, a period of extensive development in the area. (Submitted on April 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. Falls Cottage
W.E. Touchstone and his wife Matilda built this two-story brick residence for their family to occupy in 1893.Touchstone was the superintendent of Camperdown Mills and in 1894 resigned and left for Alabama. His family remained in Greenville and his wife was made owner of the home. In 1897 Matilda Touchstone sold her home and eventually it was turned into a filling station by K.S. Conrad who bought the property in 1920. In early 1990, the house underwent renovations and opened as a combination art gallery and restaurant. (Source: Greenville County
Falls Cottage Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, March 4, 2010
2. Falls Cottage Marker
Historic Sites: Driving Tour
by Greenville County Library System, pg 8.)
    — Submitted April 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

2. Touchstone House
One of the most charming buildings still surviving in the West End business district is the home found on the bend of South Main Street called the Touchstone house. The two-story stucco-covered brick house overlooking the Reedy River Falls was built in the last decade of the nineteenth century by W.E. Touchstone and his wife Matilda shortly after Chicora College was built across the street. Touchstone was the supervisor of the Camperdown Mill across the river, so the home's location was very convenient. The majority of other Camperdown workers lived in the mill village housing off Falls Street. Camperdown Mill closed just as his home was built and he moved to Alabama while his family stayed in the home for three more years. Right next to the home, Furman University students would cut over to Main Street for many years on a path that led up the hill from the school.

In the first decade of the twentieth century, Camperdown reopened and the Touchstone house had people moving in and out. A.R. Black lived in it from 1899-1900, I.C. Newton from 1901 and 1902 and G.W. Charlotte lived in the house in 1903. By
Falls Cottage -<br>Northeast Corner<br>Marker Seen in Center Front image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott
3. Falls Cottage -
Northeast Corner
Marker Seen in Center Front
the second decade of the century the house became Curry's Gasoline Station when auto-related businesses were taking over the majority of commercial buildings in the West End. Later is was People's Service Station.

In he mid-1970s plans were put in motion to begin revitalizing Falls Park as well as the touchstone cottage. The Carolina Foothills Garden Club took over the house in a state that would be unrecognizable today. Later the house was renovated to what is believed to be near its original look and housed the Metropolitan Arts Council. When the beautification of Falls Park was underway, the Touchstone house was an integral part of the plan as a "gateway" to the historic park site. The home is now known as Falls Cottage and for years has operated as a successful and charming restaurant with perhaps the best view of Falls Park. (Source: A Guide to Historic Greenville, South Carolina by John M. Nolan (2008), pgs 36-37.)
    — Submitted April 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
 
Falls Cottage -<br>Northwest Corner image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott
4. Falls Cottage -
Northwest Corner
Touchstone House Rear -<br>From Falls Park image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott
5. Touchstone House Rear -
From Falls Park
Pre-restoration Falls Cottage image. Click for full size.
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
6. Pre-restoration Falls Cottage
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,248 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on April 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   3, 4. submitted on January 30, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   5, 6. submitted on March 27, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

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Mar. 29, 2024