Greenville County Historical Society

10/22/2026

It was a pretty historic night for us

Congrats to our executive director on a well deserved honor.

Longtime Greenville city councilman and Greenville County Historical Society Executive Director Russell Stall has been honored with the Order of the Palmetto.

10/19/2026

It was on this date in 1977, that the world (and roughly 7,000 people at the Greenville Memorial Auditorium) heard Ronnie Van Zant sing the famed line from Free Bird “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?” for the last time live.

Lynyrd Skynyrd had started their latest tour in support of their just released Street Survivors album in Greenville (with Nazareth as the opening act) on October 19, 1977. The next day they boarded an ill-fated plane out of Greenville Downtown Airport that crashed just before 7 pm in rural Mississippi in route to a show in Baton Rouge. Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines, and three others died in the tragedy.

In the aftermath, the band would not play another show for almost a decade.

What are your memories of Lynyrd Skynyrd?

10/18/2026

In 1924, Greenville purchased land for a park for Black children who were barred from white parks. The city later reclaimed the property for a baseball stadium, and a promise to provide a replacement park went unfulfilled for decades.

Nearly a century later, Unity Park helped fulfill that promise to Southernside.

In his latest Greenville's History column, Russell Stall explores how segregation shaped the city's neighborhoods and public spaces, leaving a legacy that extends well beyond Jim Crow.

Explore how segregation shaped Greenville's neighborhoods, schools and public spaces, leaving a legacy that influenced development.

10/17/2026

Discover the History Right Outside Your Front Door!

🎶 Heading to Hampton-Pinckney Porchfest? Stop by the Greenville County Historical Society's table and discover the stories that make our community special!

🔎 Try our new AI Research Assistant! Curious about the history of your house? Wonder who lived there before you? Want to learn more about the people, places, and fascinating history of the Hampton-Pinckney neighborhood?

Come ask questions, explore Greenville's past, and see how we're making local history more accessible than ever.

Whether you've lived here for generations or just moved in, there's a story waiting to be discovered.

📍 Find us at Porchfest! We'd love to meet you.

Your house has a history. Come discover it!

10/04/2026

Greenville faced bank failures, mill layoffs and widespread hardship during the Great Depression before New Deal programs brought relief.

10/04/2026

09/27/2026

Railings are being installed on the new stairs at the Poinsett bridge!

09/16/2026

The Greenville County Historical Society lecture series starts tomorrow... Wed, Sept 16, at 630pm at Downtown Presbyterian. Dr. Courtney Tollison Hartness will be speaking about the history of Furman University

John Nolan on Greenville County Historical Society lecture series and upcoming topics.

09/01/2026

Hattie Logan Duckett founded Greenville’s Phillis Wheatley Center, creating a vital hub for Black education, recreation and community life.

08/31/2026

John Nolan is showing off at the City Club of Greenville Non-Profit Expo. It was fun hanging out with old friends and making new ones.