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The history of Greenville
Falls Park on the Reedy, downtown Main Street and the West End offer starting points for exploring Greenville. The city is in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Upstate South Carolina.
People who shaped Greenville
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
- 1797
Pleasantburg
Lemuel J. Alston established a village called Pleasantburg.
City reference ↗ - 1821
The Greenville name
Pleasantburg was renamed Greenville.
City reference ↗ - 1831
Village charter
Greenville became an incorporated village.
City reference ↗ - 1869
City charter
The state legislature amended the town charter to establish Greenville as a city.
City reference ↗ - 1990
The Peace Center
The Peace Center opened in downtown Greenville.
City reference ↗ - 2004
Liberty Bridge
Liberty Bridge at Falls Park was completed.
City reference ↗
See the history for yourself.
Walk the Sherman Hill Historic District, one of Greenville’ oldest residential neighborhoods, where houses date from around 1880. Check current opening hours before visiting the Falls Park waterfall on the Reedy River in Greenville, South Carolina.
For deeper research, the Greenville library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched September 13, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of the city’s history.