From its’ inception, Fort Mill, SC is a town that has survived and thrived because of its’ sense of community. Back in the 1880s, Captain Sam White, a minister, doctor, business owner and visionary, proposed that Ft. Mill needed an industrial plant to bolster its’ farm- based economy. He believed a textile mill would help the farmers by buying their cotton and providing jobs in the community for people who wanted and needed to work.
He offered to donate the land on which that mill would be built. In addition, Captain White suggested that the town would benefit further if stock in the mill could be sold to as many local citizens as might be financially capable of investing. This textile mill, which was named Fort Mill Manufacturing, within the next century would become Springs Industries with 42 plants in 12 states and employing over 23,000 people.
Decades later, Captain Sam White’s grandson, Colonel Elliott Springs, took over leadership of the company when his father, Colonel Leroy Springs, died. By the late 1940s, Colonel Elliott Springs , as his grandfather before him, saw another need in the community. He summed this need up by saying “ Fort Mill people know how to work. I have watched them for years. Now, I want to teach them how to play”
True to his word, he began with the construction of a 9 hole golf course (later expanded into an 18 hole championship course). A clubhouse was added with a swimming pool, bowling lanes, skating rink and shuffleboard courts. What started as this clubhouse eventually grew into the multi-million dollar Leroy Springs Recreation Complex which in 2018 was donated to the Upper Palmetto YMCA and is now the Fort Mill YMCA.
Ft Mill celebrates a rich heritage of honoring hard work while providing a sought after quality of life. Continuing today, work and play are intentional and nearby.
The Anne Springs Close Greenway, Kingley, and the Catawba River are some of Fort Mill’s “playgrounds”. If you lived here, it would be yours, too.
Evans Coghill Homes builds new homes in Nims Village on the Fort Mill Southern Bypass. The homes are designed with you in mind and, since they are new, you will have more time to play in Fort Mill. Nims Village is a boutique neighborhood of only 65 homes that is laid gently on the land honoring the original topography, saving trees and creating a memorable neighborhood.
Contact Cathie Campbell for Nims Village new home info – (704) 559-9534
Evans Coghill model home at Nims Village – 2114 Nims Village Dr, Ft Mill SC
