Grindal Shoals Union County SC
Grindal Shoals Union County SC
Places like the one that became known as Grindal Shoals had been important from prehistoric times because of it offered a place the Pacolet river could be forded. It became Grindal Shoals or Grindal’s Ford when John Grindal took possession of the land the ford was on. At the time of the Revolution, the community which had sprung up there because of the way foot, horse and wagon traffic concentrated there, became just as important for the Patriot and British armies as they had been to the native hunting parties for thousands of years before.
Of the countless pioneer communities sprung up as the back-country populated, some thrived and endure until today. Others, like Grindal Shoals, played their part in history and then receded into the scrub brush, giving way to newer communities founded on railways, like Jonesville, which superseded the ancient roads and water ways.
That pioneers like John Foster and his related families settled in a place like Grindal Shoals was not unique. Now that the Revolution was over families all across the former colonies were on the move, taming land seceded by Indians.
What can we see today of the community that once thrived here?
1. Ruins
Well documented historic landmarks like Christies Tavern
Goudelock cabin
Hames/McWhirter chimney
Sims slave quarters
2. Cemeteries
Gilead
Old Union
Flatrock
Hodge
Fernandis
Hames
3. History
Link to Bailey
Link to Grindal Shoals Gazette