Aiken in Aiken County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Kalmia
Photographed by Tom Bosse, December 31, 2023
1. Kalmia Marker
This is the site of Kalmia, the home and plantation of William Gregg (1800-1867), pioneer industrialist of the antebellum South. A native of Va., Gregg moved to S.C. in the 1820s, becoming a craftsman and merchant in Columbia and Charleston. In 1837 he invested in the textile mill at Vaucluse, 4 mi. NW. In 1845 he founded the Graniteville Manufacturing Co. Gregg moved here from Charleston to supervise construction of the mill and mill village 3 mi. W.
In 1847 or 1848 Gregg built a Greek Revival house overlooking the Horse Creek Valley and named it Kalmia for the mountain laurel growing here. A summer home at first, it was his year-round home by 1854 and he died here in 1867. It was built of black cypress, contained 17 rooms, and was lit by gaslights. An ornamental garden featured roses, and a vast peach orchard was among the first in S.C. to ship peaches to Northern markets. Kalmia burned in 1921.
Erected 2014 by South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, sponsored by the Aiken County Historical Society. (Marker Number 2 52.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
this page online
Location. 33° 33.854′ N, 81° 45.597′ W. Marker is in Aiken, South Carolina, in Aiken County. It is at the intersection of Richland Avenue (U.S. 78) and Gregg Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Richland Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Aiken SC 29801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Augusta and in the Midlands. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Chancellor Carroll House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Pickens-Salley House
Photographed by Tom Bosse, December 31, 2023
2. Kalmia Marker
Also see . . .
1. William Gregg and Aikens First Peaches. (Submitted on January 4, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)
2. The Story Of William Gregg And The Graniteville Mill. (Submitted on January 4, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)
Photographed by Tom Bosse, December 31, 2023
3. Kalmia Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 4, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 771 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 4, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
