| Spartanburg was a town very accustomed to a military
presence. There
were more battles and skirmishes in the county during the American
Revolution
than in any other county in South Carolina. The city and county
allegedly
took its name from the Spartan Regiment raised in the area during the
Revolution.
During the War Between the States, South Carolina furnished more men,
in
proportion to its male population, than any other Southern state and
Spartanburg
District supplied more than any other county in the state. Immediately
after the war, Union troops from the 7th US Cavalry, under Captain
Reno,
occupied the town and at some point burned the courthouse. During the
first
World War the town hosted Camp Wadsworth, a National Guard training
camp
(and one of the largest in the country) where the 27th division, 28th
division,
369th regiment, and others trained before going overseas.
The 1940 census showed Spartanburg county's population
to be 127,733.
Camp Croft's personnel, expected at times to be as many as 25,000
people,
came close to equaling the city's number of 32,249 persons! The area
was
scarcely able to meet the entertainment needs of the soldiers although
it did boast 70 churches, 2 golf courses, 2 parks, 2 radio stations
(WSPA
was the first station in the state), 3 theaters, and 6 USO clubs. Many
of the cadre and logistical
personnel lived in town and remember it as
a friendly community.
|
