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Pacolet Horse Statue

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SC Picture Project / Spartanburg County / Pacolet Horse Statue

The white stallion seen below stands guard over the Pacolet River in the namesake town of Pacolet. The community was home to Pacolet Mills, one of the South’s leading textile mills during the early twentieth century. The textile manufacturing company began operations in 1883 and had three mills powered by the Pacolet River by 1891. A catastrophic flood in 1903 wiped out two of the plant’s three mills and carried a death toll of around 70.

Pacolet Mills Horse

Mark Elbrecht of Greenville, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Pacolet Mills rebuilt by 1907 and went on to become the largest textile mill in the region. Its company logo was a running steed, as the name Pacolet is thought to be a Cherokee word meaning “fast-running horse.” A graphic of a horse in motion was stamped on all of the company’s products, and depictions of a galloping stallion soon proliferated the mill town.

Pacolet Horse Statue

Tom Taylor of Greenville, 2015 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The horse image soon represented not just the mill but the town itself. It became the mascot for the Pacolet Mills’ textile league two baseball teams (called the Trojans), was stamped onto paychecks received by mill employees, and could even be seen mounted on the local train engine. The old truss bridge crossing the Pacolet River was demolished in 1953, leaving a lone piling standing alongside the new bridge. The piling was unremarkable for decades until a couple of local residents got the idea to affix the symbol of the town, a stallion, onto the fragment emerging from the river.

Pacolet Horse

Michael Miller of Spartanburg, 2011 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

R. S. Burns and Worry Kirby of Pacolet found a white fiberglass horse for sale in Greenville and were able to purchase it from the owner for $2,800. On July 12, 1996 the white horse was bolted to his new home on the stone pedestal stretching from the waters below, protected in a metal cage. Two signs flank the base of the horse; one commemorates the Trojans baseball teams, while the other touts the local Pacolet Amphitheater. The horse greets motorists crossing the South Carolina Highway 150 bridge over the river and stands as a reminder of the prosperity enjoyed by the mill town before Pacolet Mills closed in the 1980s.

Plan Your Trip: Pacolet Horse Statue

Where is Pacolet Horse Statue located?
Address: South Carolina Highway 150, Pacolet, SC 29372
GPS Coordinates: 34.921498,-81.742703
What else should I see?
Victor Inn Ruins 0.4 mile
Pacolet Amphitheater 0.5 mile
Pacolet 3.3 miles
Lookaway Hall 6.9 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Bridges
  • See other South Carolina Mills
  • Pacolet Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Rivers
  • See other South Carolina Roadside Oddities
    Pacolet Horse Statue Map

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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