The Story of Great Falls

While the explorer DeSoto passed through the area in 1540, he did not mention any contact with the Catawba Tribe. It was not until 1566 when Juan Pardo came through that the first mention of the Iswa (People of the River) is noted. In an account of the expedition, the town of Issa was one among a cluster of villages along a 20-mile stretch of the Catawba River.

“It brought you to the first town of the Catawbas — situated on the banks of the Catawba River. Besides this town there were five others belonging to the same Nation laying all on the same stream within 20 miles.”— William Byrd II, 1732

The very first battle in Chester County during the Revolution was fought at Alexander's Old Field in May of 1780, also known as the Battle of Beckhamville. While not a big battle, it marked the beginning of the resistance in the up country.

The Battle of Fishing Creek took place August 18, 1780. As Tarleton crested a hill he could see Sumter and his men below, apparently undisturbed. With a shout he and his men descended. Sumter made a hasty escape and found safety in Charlotte, NC.

In 1794–95, the federal government set out to build an arsenal near the line between the Carolinas. The site was selected by Eli Whitney and Major Christian Senf. Thomas Jefferson authorized the purchase of 523 acres from Senator Thomas Sumter. The cornerstone was laid in 1803 by Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War. The last soldiers left in 1817. At the time, West Point came within one vote of being established here instead.

In 1905, the Southern Power Company, a forerunner of Duke Energy, was incorporated with its first hydroelectric plant: the Great Falls Station. Two spillway dams were constructed to feed the turbines, turning the water away from its natural path and leaving tons of rock exposed.

Shortly after, construction began on the Rocky Creek plant. Fishing Creek was completed in 1916. The Dearborn Plant in 1925. The Cedar Creek Plant in 1926. The Great Falls turbines were filled with concrete in 2020.

Construction began in 1909 and operation started in 1911 with 175 hands turning out cotton cloth. A second plant was built in 1916. Some 208 acres were purchased, and as the mill buildings rose, the entire town of Great Falls took shape — streets, housing, a company store, even a pharmacy.

In 1948, Republic Cotton Mills merged with J.P. Stevens & Company, Inc., which remained the major employer for most of the 20th century. All three mills closed in the early 1980s, with Mill #2 the only one still standing.