Mark's Photo Travels

The day after hiking to Hospital Rock , I paid a visit to Lyman in western Spartanburg County to explore some of town's mill history. Since my previous trips to Lyman, I've gained more tidbits of Lyman history thanks to the informative members of the Facebook group Days At Pacific Mills A Lyman Group . Lyman, unlike  some other mill towns in the area, is doing well with a residential area full of well maintained homes, and a small but vibrant. From reading over posts in the group, I found several points of historical interest to visit. I parked in the large parking lot once belonging to the now demolished Lyman Mill across the street. The town of Lyman bought the parking lot, and uses a small part of it as a recycling center, and another part is where free firewood is available. Along the edge of the parking lot is a long abandoned railroad spur. Part of the spur's right-of-way has recently become  the Lyman Rail Trail . This section should become part of the r...

A few days ago the Lyman Rail Trail in Lyman, SC  opened for public use , joining the growing number of rail trails in the area and the trend started by the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Lyman Rail Trail follows an abandoned spur to the old Lyman Mill between Lawrence Street and SC 292 (Spartanburg Highway). A future extension (phase 2) is being planned to extend the trail by Little Street and toward Groce Road. I parked near the recycling center in the parking lot of the old Lyman Mill, then through Lyman Park, then across the street to the trailhead. The newness of the trail is plain to see. After a only few minutes and a few street crossings I made it to the trail's end. The trail then connects to a sidewalk along Lawrence Street. What lies just beyond is what interested me. The rail was removed a few years ago, but I took some photos of the rail during my last visit in 2012: On the other side of the the street, the rail is still there. A railroad crossing sign...