Mark's Photo Travels

The newest extension to the Swamp Rabbit Trail opened to the public on July 22nd with a ceremony and media coverage by WSPA , TR Tribune , among others. This new extension runs from the parking area near Grandview Memorial Gardens to Tate Road as shown here on this map: I took advantage of the abnormally cool and pleasant weather to explore this new section yesterday. With a paved trail and no sharp rises or falls, I was able to walk the distance rather quickly. I only saw a few bikers and no hikers today. I took in sights I normally can't when driving up U.S. 276, just a few feet away. The trail turns away from U.S. 276 near Rock Quarry Road, closely matching the old railroad right-of-way. The trail then passes over a small creek. A short distance later the trail ends at Tate Road. The "for now..." on the sign means more expansion toward Slater-Marietta is being planned for an undetermined future time . The old railroad right-of-way continues...

Last Sunday, I finally had a chance to visit the Travelers Rest History Museum  run by the Travelers Rest Historical Society . The museum has been open since late August on Saturdays and Sundays, but I usually have other commitments those days. But not this day. The museum is located at 3 Edwards Street , just south of downtown Travelers Rest in the area where U.S. 276 and U.S. 25 briefly mingle. The Swamp Rabbit Trail passes by a few feet away, and their parking lot also doubles as Swamp Rabbit Trail parking. When I arrived, some kind of event was being held on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Police were stationed at road crossings directing traffic while joggers (all women from what I could tell) were headed north up the trail. According to a historical society meeting about the building I attended and summarized on a plaque by the front door, the building was originally a grocery store on Main Street and moved to its present location in 2010. Bricks for the building came fr...

Update: Follow this link  to list all entries in what became a series. The  Swamp Rabbit Trail , the successful rails-to-trail conversion, currently extends from downtown Greenville to Travelers Rest with plans to extend the trail southward to Fountain Inn. The Greenville County Recreational Department is seeking support for a project to extend the northern end of the trail up to Slater-Marietta. The Swamp Rabbit Trail closely follows the route of the  Greenville & Northern railroad , better known as the Swamp Rabbit Railroad, from downtown Greenville to just north of Travelers Rest matching where the railroad had ended since the mid-1950s. However, as late as 1921 , the railroad ended at River Falls, near Jones Gap, and as late as 1933 in Marietta. This part of the railroad route isn't plotted on any modern maps, being abandoned long ago, making me interested in learning more about the route the Swamp Rabbit railroad took to from Travelers Rest to River F...

A decaying cemetery locals call The Children's Graveyard near the intersection of Old Buncombe Road and Duncan Chapel Road a few miles north of Greenville, SC is the most visible remains of where Duncan Chapel Methodist Church once stood. The "residents" of the cemetery are listed at Find A Grave . Also nearby on 1/4 acre of land deeded by the church was Duncan Chapel Public School until it moved to a new location in 1917. I tried to link in the entry to every piece of available information about the church, graveyard, and school. Several bloggers have already visited and written about the site: Haunted Children's Graveyard  (August 25, 2008) by Eric at A Day's Drive from Greenville, SC The Children's Graveyard  (September 27, 2008) by Tom Taylor at RandomConnections Children’s Graveyard – Followup and History  (September 29, 2008) by Tom Taylor at RandomConnections I haven't gone there yet, but I will when colder weather kills off some of the veg...