The Saluda Factory

The Saluda Factory. . , The Saluda Factory was built between 1830 and 1834 out of granite blocks and was four stories tall. It was 45 feet wide by 200 feet long, and had two 18 foot diameter waterwheels that powered the textile machinery., In 1853, the factory was forced into liquidation and abandoned. In 1855, Col. James G. Gibbes and his brother, Robert W. purchased the factory for $20,000. The factory's name was changed to Columbia Mills, but most people still call it the Saluda Factory., During the Civil War, the "Saluda Factory" was enlarged and equipped with wool machinery, and by 1862 employed about 1,000 workers. Nearby was a general store, a gristmill, a tavern and several boarding houses. The woolen material produced there was hand sewed in downtown Columbia into Confederate uniforms., The factory was burned by General Sherman's Union troops in February, 1865. After the Civil War, the mill was rebuilt as a wood-frame structure upon the original granite foundation., Between 1877 and 1880, a 900-foot long stone dam was built to provide better water supply to power the mill. Portions of the granite dam abutments close to the east bank of the river are all that remain. The Columbia Mill ("Saluda Factory") was finally destroyed by an accidental fire on August 2, 1884.