There are so many abandoned places in South Carolina! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in South Carolina. Browse through all abandoned places in South Carolina
The Charleston Naval Shipyard is a decommissioned United States Navy shipbuilding and repair facility. The yard which is located in North Charleston, South Carolina, has for years been lying in a dilapidated state after its decommission after World War I.
Charleston, which had never fully recovered economically from the Civil War, was awarded a contract for a naval yard in 1890. Charleston Mayor J. Adger Smyth and Senator Benjamin Tillman had long lobbied the Navy for a shipyard to help the local economy. The United States' 56th Congress passed legislation authorizing the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable John D. Long, to investigate this proposal.
The Yard was promptly surveyed and plotted out, a crew was gathered, and construction of a structure and a dry dock began. The Navy Yard initially concentrated on ship maintenance and supply rather than new buildings; nonetheless, new construction did take place. The dock employed over eight hundred local residents but the number increased by the end of the war.
The Charleston Naval Base was South Carolina's largest civilian employer until the 1990s. In the face of frequent closure efforts, the influence of Lowcountry politicians, as well as the danger of nuclear attack, were important in keeping Charleston's base open. However, with the Cold War over and military budget cuts looming, Charleston's Navy Base was put on the chopping board once more in the early 1990s. In 1993, the Charleston Naval Base was set to shut on April 1, 1996. As a result of the base's shutdown, Charleston's economy suffered. Millions of dollars have flowed into the Charleston area economy over the years, and hundreds of thousands of jobs have been provided to military and civilian personnel, with the vast majority being civilians. Many of the military personnel who worked at or passed through the base chose to retire in Charleston. Since the closure of Charleston Naval Base, portions of the base and dry docks have been leased to various government and private businesses, and community parks have been established.
Years of neglect have robbed the structure of its beauty and solidity, making it a possible threat. Although the Charleston Naval Base is no longer a part of our country's history, it remains a vivid memory for those who served there. The huge base has been turned into a historic area, with tourists able to explore the site as well as various portions of the structural system. The bulk of the buildings are unstable and hence closed. Plans to develop the land into a hotel and resort were greeted with opposition from both residents and prior owners, who claimed that the region was heavily contaminated as a result of earlier activity.
Boynton House is an abandoned and desolate house in the ACE Basin's remote Donnelley Wildlife Management Area. It used to be the main house on a large rice plantation. The wooden filigree is now falling apart, and bat guano has infiltrated several of the rooms.
Just like many other houses and cabins at the site that have since collapsed, Boynton House was one of the main houses for those who called the largest rice plantation in Donnelley Dr, their home. In the late 1800s, Colleton county, South Carolina was already engaging in rice farming but not on a large scale. The beginning of 1900 however changed all these when the county began offering grants to local farmers to boost their farming businesses. This was the beginning of the largest rice plantation in the state, the Donnelley Dr rice plantation. The plantation which was started by an individual produces the largest amount of produce in the whole of Colleton and South Carolina. It employed over 500 local residents and others from neighboring counties and states.
In the 1930s when the great economic depression hit America and the world, many of the industries and plantations were affected. Donnelley Dr rice plantation was one of the affected plantations that prompted it to shut down. Most of the residents and workers of the town therefore sought employment in other industries that were at least not much affected in neighboring counties and states. This left the vast paddy without any resident or worker to maintain and watch over it. Efforts to revive the plantation were met with various financial obstacles that the county and the State of Carolina wsd not ready to deal with. The plantation, houses, and other residential cabins were left to decay in the surplus water of the paddy.
Boynton House and the vast plantation are currently ruins having been abandoned for over five decades. Boynton House over the years has been dilapidated beyond restoration. The Windows and doors have all been broken by vandals who have managed to loot all the valuables from the house. The wooden walls of the house which still stand are covered by graffiti and “Do not Enter” signs that seem not to be working as expected. Around the house, a dense forest engulfs it making it difficult to see from a distance. The paddies which are currently filled with dirty and contaminated water harbor various wild animals including crocodiles. The area around the plantation has trails and is open for tourists to tour at their own expense for safety. For the Boynton House and surrounding buildings, they are out of bounds for civilians as they may collapse at any given time.
Glendale Mill is an 1850s mill built-in 1859 by a North Carolina, Dr, James Bivings. Originally known as Bivingsville, the mill operated for 12 years before it was shut down permanently. It is currently a partially burnt-down ruin after it was affected by a fire outbreak in 2004.
Glendale Mill was established in the late 1850s when a North Carolina Dr, James Bivings relocated to Spartanburg, South Carolina with his family. At Spartanburg, he began a small cotton milling factory. The building was vast and took 3 years to complete and others more for modifications. Though it was the largest mill in the region, the factory never had dyes and printing machines. Once they refined their pulp, they sent them to other mills around the states for printing and dying. Many of the locals say this was more of a blessing than a curse since most of the mills that had printing and dyeing services led to a tremendous amount of pollution.
Glendale did well and even was among the mills that were chosen by the nation to help in the mass production of military uniforms during the world war. It was also involved in the small-scale production of military equipment but this did not last since it was not its specialty. Glendale was under the management of its founder for less than 10 years and at this time it was called Bivingsville. The name was changed when the mill was sold to a new local investor who allowed the wife to change the name to Glendale.
After the world war, most of the mills that were given tenders to make military uniforms resumed back with their usual businesses. At this point in time, obsolete mills tried hard to be developed and modernized. Being modern and having better machines and a constant power supply in quantity was what made a mill stand out from the rest. This however required finances that most mills had not. This made the competitor too demanding for them and forced them to close down by the end of 1961.
The mill was left abandoned and unmaintained for decades leaving its premises a playing ground for kids, vandals, graffiti artists, and drug dealers. Due to years of not being serviced, the building caught fire in 2004 nearly bringing all the mill down. The fire which affected the whole building from all corners is believed to be a coordinated arson or kid fooling around. The fire was put off but the damage that was caused was beyond repair. Wofford College acquired the building and the neighboring properties later after the fire as their reach and study area. The buildings were not renovated and are still intact since the fire devoured them. People are still allowed to visit the new study and research ground for Wofford College.