Taylors (Burdette) Branch

Taylors (Burdette) Branch History

The area between Greenville and Greer was just farmland, and farmland it would have remained had it not been for the mineral spring five miles east of Greenville near the Enoree River. Dr. Burwell Chick bought up the land and opened the Chick Springs Resort in 1840. It was soon teeming with summer visitors from the lowcountry and elsewhere, who did much to boost the local economy. When the Richmond and Atlanta Railway was built, local entrepreneur Alfred Taylor built the station on his property, and gradually the center of business for the area shifted to Taylor's Station.

In the twentieth century Taylors, as it was now known, received boosts from nearby Camp Sevier during World War I and the opening of Southern Bleachery in 1924. The widening of Wade Hampton Boulevard as the main thoroughfare between Greenville and Spartanburg also contributed to the burgeoning population. While some advocated incorporating Taylors in the 1960s, the move failed largely because the area residents felt already well served by the water and fire districts. Although only the springhouse of the original resort remains, Taylors has a well-preserved downtown area and many longtime residents who value its history and spirit.

The Taylors Branch of the Greenville County Library was founded on November 20, 1973. In the 1920s the Bookmobile had been begun stopping every other week in Taylors at the First Baptist Church, but eventually the growth of the community warranted its own branch. The location across from the fire station on Wade Hampton Boulevard served until January 25, 2005, when the spacious Burdette branch opened. The property on Main Street is especially noted for its beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The new building has four times as much space as the old storefront location.

Sources:

• Flynn, Jean Martin. An Account of Taylors, South Carolina 1817 to 1994. Spartanburg: The Reprint Company, 1995.
• Flynn, Jean Martin. A Short History of Chick Springs. Travelers Rest, SC: Loftis Printing Co, 1972.