Astride a mighty river separating Greenville and Anderson Counties in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont is a place divided—divided by a river, a county line, and school district lines. But, more importantly, it is tied, connected, and bridged together by its enduring story. Swift and deep, the Saluda River attracted Native Americans, Revolutionary War soldiers, and early settlers to the ford at the shoals. Called Big Shoals of the Saluda by the Cherokee and Garrison Shoals by the settlers, the ford supported a British garrison, an early gristmill, and a venture into textile manufacturing. In fact, Piedmont Manufacturing Company was one of the earliest and largest mills in the South. Today, still spanning the Saluda and linking the mill sites to allow swift crossing, the footbridge connects today's residents to the souls these waters have affected for hundreds of years.
