Keep Your Seat! This One’s About the YWCA.

Did you know Greenville County is home to South Carolina’s very first YWCA?

Tucked inside the historic Piedmont Mill Village, this small but mighty site holds a big story — and it’s now being protected and restored thanks to the Piedmont Historical Preservation Society and the Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust.

Back in 1876, the Piedmont Manufacturing Company was already shipping cotton sheeting around the world. By 1900, mill President Henry Beattie knew he needed more than machinery — he needed community. He built a YMCA for men in 1905, then a YWCA for women just three years later.

Here’s where it gets fun:
That YWCA building began as a Union Church (serving three congregations – Baptist, Methodists, and Presbyterians), served as a school, was moved three times, and even became a family home for 70 years before being saved from demolition.

Now, with help from the SC Conservation Bank, local donors, and the Trust, this treasured landmark is getting a new life as a museum — home to the Don Roper Historical Collection.

Watch local historian Dr. Ann Peden share more.

Saving the Piedmont YWCA keeps our shared story alive — reminding us that protecting history is as important as building our future. Let’s keep the historic in Greenville County’s history.