Brutontown in Greenville in Greenville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Brutontown
[Front]:
Brutontown, an historic African-American community, grew up around the intersection of Paris Mountain Rd. and Rutherford Rd. Benjamin Bruton, a mulatto freedman, bought 1.75 acres here in 1874. He built a house and blacksmith shop, labeled "Bruton's Shop" on Kyser's 1882 map of Greenville County. Other blacks, a few of them tradesmen like Bruton but most tenant farmers, soon moved to this area. By 1880 sixty African-American families lived here.
[Reverse]:
The community, on both sides of Rutherford Rd., was known as “Brutontown” by about 1900. In 1921 farm land was subdivided into town lots, in an area 2 blocks deep and 6 blocks wide. Bruton Temple Baptist Church, the first church here, was founded in 1921. By 1930 Brutontown numbered about 300 residents. The three-acre “Society Burial Ground” on Leo Lewis St., dating from before the Civil War, includes many graves of slaves, free blacks, and freedmen.
Erected 2009 by Greenville County Redevelopment Authority. (Marker Number 23-38.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1874.
Location. 34° 52.317′ N, 82° 24.067′ W. Marker is in Greenville, South Carolina, in Greenville County. It is in Brutontown. Marker is at the intersection of Rutherford Road and Old Paris Mountain Road on Rutherford Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Greenville SC 29609, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. "The Poplars" / Elias Earle (approx. 0.4 miles away); Whitehall (approx. 0.6 miles away); Poe Mill (approx. 0.7 miles away); Old Greenville Graveyard (approx. 0.9 miles away); Lawrence Peter Hollis (approx. 0.9 miles away); Congregation Beth Israel (approx. one mile away); McPherson Park (approx. one mile away); General Nathanael Greene (approx. one mile away); Fulton H. Anthony Memorial Bridge (approx. 1.1 miles away); Post 3 American Legion (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.
Also see . . . Brutontown. Brutontown, originally named Bruton Town, was a black settlement off of Poinsett Highway and Paris Mountain Road that dates back to the 1800’s. (Submitted on November 26, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 3, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,651 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 3, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.